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TECHNICAL REPORT
JAMES BAY CREE GUN SURVEY
Cree Trappers' Association
July 1998
UNEDITED
The present study was funded by the Research and Statistics Division, Department of Justice Canada. The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Justice Canada.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Study Background
The Department of Justice Canada commissioned the Cree Trappers' Association to undertake a survey of the East James Bay Cree in Eeyou Istchee, (Québec). The survey focused on developing reliable estimates of the number of
firearms and Cree gun owners in the East James Bay Cree communities. The study was also designed to estimate the number of gun transactions among the Crees and holders of valid Firearm Acquisition Certificate (FAC) and Canadian Firearms
Safety Course Certificate (CFSCC). Safety practices regarding gun lockers and/or trigger locks were also surveyed.
The study was conducted between January and June, 1998. The study randomly selected four of the nine East James Bay Cree communities according to location (coastal and inland) and community size (small and large). The four communities
selected for the survey were Chisasibi, Whapmagoostui, Ouje-Bougoumou, and Waswanipi, which represent approximately 47% of the total East James Bay Cree population. In total, 468 households were visited by six trained local interviewers from
each of the communities; the interviews were conducted in the local Cree language.
It is important to point out that the findings reported below are population estimates based on the survey results. The survey was designed to permit reliable estimates of the number of guns and owners in the East James Bay Cree communities
overall - generalizations to other Aboriginal communities should not be made. Section 1.0 of the report describes in detail the survey methodology.
Study Highlights
The following points highlight the findings.
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The vast majority of Cree households (88%) contain one or more guns, representing approximately 2,100 Cree households. Cree gun owning households contain on average roughly 6.1 guns and 1.8 gun owners.
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Overall, approximately 3,916 (41%) individuals of the East James Bay Cree own a total of 12,704 firearms. The average number of guns owned by Cree gun owners is approximately 3.1. The majority of gun owners are adult males, who also own the
highest average number of firearms (3.8). In comparison, female gun owners own an average of 1.3 firearms.
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Not surprisingly, the most common type of firearm owned by the Crees is the rifle/.22 (52.8%) and shotgun (46.8%); the prevalence of handgun ownership is extremely low (0.4%). The vast majority of these guns are in working order (98%).
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Most of these firearms are individually owned (95.7%); 2.7% are family owned and 1.6% are jointly owned.
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For the Crees, hunting is a universal reason for owning a gun. Almost 75% of gun owners own firearms for hunting only. In one-fifth (21.8%) of cases, owning a gun serves the additional purpose of passing guns down as a legacy. Neither
target practice nor gun collecting is an important additional reason to own guns.
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The incidence of individuals borrowing guns over a twelve month period is quite low among Crees who own a gun; and, very low among those who do not. Guns borrowed were overwhelmingly long guns.
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Very few Crees were involved in gun transfers during the preceding twelve months. Guns transferred were exclusively long guns. Transfers are defined as guns that were bought or sold, received or given as a gift, inherited, or traded.
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Two-fifths (40.0%) of adult Cree gun owners hold both a valid Firearm Acquisition Certificate (FAC) and have successfully completed the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. A little over one-third (36.3%) has neither. Seventeen percent hold a
Canadian Firearms Safety Course Certificate (CFSCC) only.
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Twelve percent of Cree gun owning households contain both a gun locker and one or more safety locks. Almost one-third (31%) has either one or the other. Neither type of safety device is present in over half the Cree gun owning households.
It is important to note that gun lockers and safety locks are not the only means to safely store firearms. Removal of gun bolts, use of cable locks, and gun closets or locked rooms can also provide safe gun storage.
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