The analysis focused on the circumstances surrounding these incidents, including the types of guns involved, the legal status of gun possession, the background of offenders, and the charges. Results revealed that handguns accounted for a large proportion of the firearm homicides, as well as the firearm robberies for which guns were recovered. Analysis of all seized handguns revealed that the majority were not registered with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and that they may have been illegally imported or smuggled into Canada. In addition, many firearms offenders have criminal records and do not possess the gun legally priority to committing the firearms offense. Findings suggest that police and others in the criminal justice community face a strong challenge in enforcing firearms legislation. It is necessary to control the circulation of illegal firearms and to prevent the acquisition and misuse of firearms by persons arrested in the past, although police do take preventive action where possible. Tables, footnotes, and 9 references