Canada introduces legislation to freeze handgun sales, ban look-alike toys

OTTAWA, Could 30 (Reuters) - Canada's government launched legislation Monday to implement a "nationwide freeze" on the sale and buy of handguns as a part of a gun management package deal that will also restrict journal capacities and ban some toys that look like weapons.

The brand new laws, which resurrects some measures that have been shelved final yr amid a national election, comes only a week after a gunman killed 19 kids and two lecturers in their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau advised reporters the brand new measures were needed as gun violence was increasing.

Register

"We'd like solely look south of the border to know that if we do not take motion firmly and quickly it gets worse and worse and gets tougher to counter," he said.

The handgun freeze would contain exceptions, including for elite sport shooters, Olympic athletes and security guards. Canadians who already personal handguns could be allowed to keep them.

Authorities do not expect a run on handguns in anticipation of the freeze, in part as a result of they are so heavily regulated already, an official stated in a briefing.

Canada has stronger gun legislation than the US however while its gun murder rate is less than one-fifth the U.S. charge it's larger than that of other rich nations and has been rising. In 2020 it was 5 occasions Australia's price.

The rate in every of 2020 and 2017 was the country's highest since at the least 1997, based on Statistics Canada.

Canada banned the sale and use of some 1,500 fashions of assault weapons, like the AR-15 rifle, two years in the past within the wake of a mass capturing in Portapique, Nova Scotia - a transfer some firearms house owners say they're contesting in court. Talking alongside Trudeau, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed the "imminent launch of the initial phase" of a program to purchase back and compensate homeowners of such weapons.

Whereas the Liberals have a minority of seats in Parliament, the laws may cross with the help of the left-leaning New Democratic Social gathering.

The planned laws would forestall anyone topic to a protection order or who has engaged in home violence or stalking from obtaining or keeping a firearms license.

It will also require long-gun magazines to be permanently altered so they can never maintain greater than five rounds and can ban the sale and switch of large-capacity magazines.

The brand new laws would also ban some toys that appear like real guns, resembling airsoft rifles. Final week Toronto police shot and killed a person carrying a pellet gun. read extra

"As a result of they appear the identical as actual firearms, police must treat them as if they are real. This has led to tragic penalties," Justice Minister David Lametti told reporters.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Affiliation, welcomed a few of the strikes, such as the "pink flag" provisions within the case of home violence, and mentioned he would really like more information on enforcement and resources for measures such because the handgun freeze.

He completely supported a crackdown on fake guns, which he stated have been a "massive problem."

"You can not distinguish between what's a replica firearm and what's an actual firearm, notably when these incidences involving replica firearms occur usually in very dynamic, rapidly evolving circumstances."

Rod Giltaca, the top of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, said the handgun freeze was "absurd."

He mentioned authorities were not using the tools they already had to sort out gun violence, corresponding to calling individuals listed as references on gun license functions.

Register

Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Richard Pullin

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Belief Ideas.