Over three-quarters of Canadians regularly used some type of preventive measure to protect themselves and their property from crime in 2004, according to a new report released from Statistics Canada.
But the report, based on data from the General Social Survey
(GSS) on victimization, found that people were far more likely
to modify their routine activities and behaviours than they
were to adopt drastic measures such as buying a gun.
Findings showed that among the  protective measures
studied, 35 percent of Canadians changed their routine or
avoided certain places, while 34 percent installed burglar
alarms or motion detectors, and 31 percent  installed new
locks or security bars.
In contrast, only five percent reported that they changed their
phone number, four percent  changed residences, and one
percent bought a gun.
