As U.s. Guns Pour Into Canada, the Bodies Pile Up

We do have a fair amount of gun homicide here in Canada; well above the average in many European countries and about 1/3rd the rate in the United States. But historically this was mostly crimes of passion, and organized crime. Someone would get real angry and kill their lover or business partner, or it would arise out of a dispute over criminal property. We've had spree killings, too.

What happened in Toronto with the death of that boy from a stray bullet in his mother's arms in his own home, is rather novel to Canadians. And I'm not sure what the ultimate effect will be. I'm not sure that gun control can get much more stricter domestically; while most people can buy a handgun in practice, they are heavily regulated such that lawfully licensed ones are only very rarely used in crimes.

The handguns used to murder almost all come from over the border. The way this intersects with the border and US foreign and trade policy re: Canada is hard to avoid. Free exchange with the USA increasingly is seen as a vulnerability.