A call to arms: The emergency physician, international perspectives on firearm injury prevention and the Canadian gun control debate

There are more than seven million firearms in Canada and approximately 1400 firearm-related deaths per year, These figures are far greater than those for most European countries, but far less than those for the United States. This article will discuss the different classes of firearm deaths and the associated costs. Public health issues will he explored, especially as they relate to the involvement of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physici ans, as well as injury control recommendations. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science I nc.