Calgary shootings surpass 100 amid 'shocking' number of guns on streets

Calgary has a "shocking" amount of guns on its streets, the city's police chief said Wednesday, as the city's shootings climbed to 106. 

In the latest incident on Tuesday, a man was shot in a residential area in the southwest.

During a presentation to the Calgary Police Commission, Calgary Police Service (CPS) Supt. Scott Boyd said the numbers demonstrate just how much gun violence has spread across the city. 

"We know that we're on pace to break previous records with this level of violence, and it's already taken too many lives," Boyd said. 

The motivations for the shootings spanned from drugs to personal disagreements to robberies, but the majority are still being investigated or undetermined. 

However the documents said that a subsection of the shootings are believed to be related to organized crime, with multiple groups involved. 

According to numbers collected by CPS, District 5 in Saddle Ridge has had more than 30 shootings, while Districts 1 in Ramsay, 3 in North Haven and 4 in Franklin each have over 10 incidents.

"Crime literally knows no boundaries, and gun violence should be a concern for all Calgarians, not just those that live anecdotally in high crime areas," Boyd said. 

Because the gun violence is so widespread throughout the city, Boyd said, it's difficult to determine and implement effective prevention efforts. 

He added that CPS is experiencing more homicides with gunshots as a cause of death compared to 2021. 

"We have become a large city, and with it comes big city problems," Boyd said. 

Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld said coming across guns during a traffic stop used to be rare. 

"It is a shocking number of guns that officers are dealing with out on the street … clearly by the numbers you're seeing, it's not rare now, and our folks are well aware of that," he said. 

Of the guns seized so far this year, 23 crime guns had obliterated serial numbers, and 14 3D printed firearms were recovered, the documents said. 

Acting Deputy Chief Ryan Ayliffe said CPS is expecting more 3D printed guns to make their way to the city. 

"3D printed gun seizures are trending upwards and every indication we have … is that they will continue to trend upward and we are working with our partners on strategies to try and combat the completion of these 3D guns," he said. 

Buyback program 

Since May 2020, Ottawa has prohibited more than 1,500 different models of assault-style firearms from being used or sold in Canada. It has committed to establishing a buyback program to remove those firearms from communities.

However, the Alberta government is taking steps to oppose federal firearms prohibition legislation and the potential seizure of thousands of assault-style weapons.

Neufeld said the program might help improve safety. 

"Taking off the street a number of assault style weapons and high capacity magazines makes sense."

But he added that most "day-to-day" shootings in Calgary are not assault-style weapons, although the majority of crime guns seized in the city are either rifles or shotguns.

A large portion of the guns used in shootings were either smuggled or stolen during a break and enter.