Canada’s government announced legislation on Monday to impose a “national freeze” on the sale and purchase of handguns as part of a broader gun-control package that also includes restrictions on magazine capacity and a ban on some toy guns.
The new proposal, which reintroduces several regulations that were put on hold last year due to a national election, comes barely a week after a shooter massacred 19 children and two instructors in a Uvalde, Texas, classroom.
Because gun violence is on the rise, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that more restrictions are needed.
“We only have to look south of the border to see that if we don’t move decisively and quickly, things will get worse and more difficult to counter,” he warned.
There would be exceptions to the handgun ban, such as for elite sports shooters, Olympic athletes, and security guards. Those who already own handguns in Canada would be able to keep them.
An official said in a briefing that authorities do not expect a rush on handguns in advance of the moratorium, in part because they are already strictly regulated.
While Canada’s gun laws are stricter than those in the United States, the country’s gun homicide rate is greater than that of other developed countries and is on the rise. It was five times Australia’s rate by 2020.
According to Statistics Canada, the rate in 2020 and 2017 was the highest since at least 1997.
Following a horrific massacre in Portapique, Nova Scotia, Canada outlawed the sale and use of about 1,500 assault weapons, including the AR-15 rifle, two years ago – a move that some gun owners say they are challenging in court. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, who spoke alongside Trudeau, affirmed the “imminent commencement of the initial phase” of a programme to purchase back and compensate owners of such weapons.
Despite the fact that the Liberals have a minority of members in Parliament, the law could pass if the left-leaning New Democratic Party votes in favour.
Anyone under a protective order or who has committed domestic violence or stalking would be prohibited from acquiring or maintaining a weapons licence under the proposed legislation.
It will also need the use of long-guns.
Some toys that resemble actual guns, such as airsoft rifles, would be prohibited under the new legislation. A man with a pellet pistol was shot and killed by Toronto police last week.
“Police must handle them as if they were actual firearms since they resemble them.” According to Justice Minister David Lametti, “this has resulted in disastrous results.”
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Some of the changes, such as the “red flag” provisions in the case of domestic abuse, were welcomed by Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, but he said he would prefer more information on enforcement and resources for measures like the handgun freeze.
He was a strong supporter of a crackdown on fake firearms, which he described as a “major problem.”
“It’s difficult to tell what’s a replica firearm and what’s a real firearm, especially when these incidents involving replica firearms occur frequently in fast-changing environments.”
The head of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, Rod Giltaca, called the handgun ban “absurd.”
Authorities, he claimed, were not using existing measures to combat gun violence, such as calling people given as references on gun licencing applications.
