Crossbows in Canada: what you need to know about the deadly weapon

[Brett Ryan has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of three people allegedly killed with a crossbow in Toronto on Thursday. CBC NEWS]

A triple-murder committed with a crossbow this week in Toronto has put a focus on the increasingly popular weapon.

Brett Ryan, 35, is in jail facing three counts of first-degree murder after two men and a woman were killed at a Scarborough home Thursday.

Police say the fatal injuries were caused by crossbow bolts and a crossbow was found nearby.

Here’s what you need to know about crossbows:

What are they?

Unlike traditional compound or recurve bows, which are held vertically and hand-drawn, crossbows are horizontally mounted on a base that resembles a rifle. They are “loaded” with a “bolt” and fired with both hands.

In Canada, crossbows cost anywhere from about $450 to $1,500.

What are they for?

Crossbows are legally allowed for hunting — with some season-related restrictions — in most provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. They are not allowed for hunting in Newfoundland or the Yukon, according to Outdoor Canada.

They are also a popular weapon for shooting contests, according to the World Crossbow Shooting Association. Such competitions are held worldwide.

Are they regulated?

In Canada, crossbows that can be aimed and fired with one hand and those with an overall length of 500 millimetres or less are prohibited, according to RCMP. They cannot be legally possessed or acquired.

Crossbows that require both hands to fire and those that are longer than 500 millimetres do not require a licence or registration.

In 1995, section 97 of the Criminal Code was passed, which would have made licensing mandatory for the purchase of a crossbow but the law has never been brought into force.

How many murders have been committed with crossbows?

A bow-related murder is exceedingly rare but the Toronto one is not the first. Michael Gibbon was killed last October in Kitchener, Ont., with a crossbow arrow.

And in 2010, 52-year-old Si Cheng was shot by a crossbow and then bludgeoned with a hammer at a Toronto library by his son.

In 2007, a Saint-Césaire, Que., woman was killed with a crossbow and her husband injured. Their 26-year-old son was charged.

In 1998, a pregnant Stephanie Celestine Thomas was shot with a crossbow and then stabbed in Central Saanich on Vancouver Island. Edward Walker was convicted of second-degree murder in her death.

In 1994, Yvon Gosselin was killed with one in a Terrace, B.C., gravel pit.

And in 1991, Patricia Allen was killed with a crossbow on a downtown Ottawa street. Her estranged husband was convicted.

The most notorious crossbow killings occurred in the United Kingdom city of Bradford, where three women were killed with the weapon. Forty-year-old Stephen Griffiths identified himself in court as the “crossbow cannibal.” He is serving a life sentence.

In Canada, with the rarity of crossbow murders, they aren’t tracked separately in crime statistics.

According to Statistics Canada, stabbing is the method used in 38 per cent of homicides; shooting in 31 per cent; and beating in 19 per cent.

Handguns were used in 67 per cent of 156 firearms-related homicides in 2014.