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Forum Poll: Less Than 20 Per Cent Of Canadians Own Guns

The survey found some surprising results in Quebec, however.
Michael Dunning via Getty Images

A new poll by Forum Research Inc. paints a picture of the drastic difference in gun ownership between the U.S. and Canada.

In a survey of 1,429 voters, 17 per cent of respondents said they owned firearms.

The Forum poll found that owning a gun was especially common among young men, the wealthy, Conservatives, Alberta and Prairie residents, and those who "would abolish the Monarchy."

Ownership 'localized'

“We are a far cry from the U.S., where there are as many guns as people," said Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research in a release.

"In our country, gun ownership seems localized where it makes the most sense, in primarily rural regions and in the west where there are varmints to kill."

Unlike the U.S., gun ownership is not a constitutional right in Canada. Canadians must hold a licence — which varies based on the gun's classification — in order to own a firearm.

According to The Washington Post, the number of guns in the U.S. reached 310 million in 2009. That was the first time the number of firearms surpassed the country's population.

'Significant' spike in Quebec

One part of the poll indicated a surprising revelation. The survey found a "statistically significant" spike in gun ownership among Quebecois and Francophones.

Thirteen per cent of respondents in Quebec said they owned a handgun or handguns, while only two per cent of Ontario respondents claimed they owned a handgun.

The polling firm says the survey's results, released Wednesday, are considered accurate plus or minus three per cent, 19 times out of 20.

You can read more of the poll's findings here.

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