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

OTTAWA, Might 30 (Reuters) - Canada's government launched laws Monday to implement a "nationwide freeze" on the sale and buy of handguns as a part of a gun management package that may also limit magazine capacities and ban some toys that appear to be guns.

The new laws, which resurrects some measures that were shelved last yr amid a national election, comes just a week after a gunman killed 19 children and two lecturers of their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

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

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"We want only look south of the border to know that if we don't take action firmly and quickly it will get worse and worse and will get tougher to counter," he mentioned.

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

Authorities don't anticipate a run on handguns in anticipation of the freeze, partly because they're so heavily regulated already, an official stated in a briefing.

Canada has stronger gun legislation than america but whereas its gun homicide price is lower than one-fifth the U.S. price it is higher than that of different rich international locations and has been rising. In 2020 it was 5 instances Australia's price.

The speed in every of 2020 and 2017 was the nation's highest since at the least 1997, in accordance with Statistics Canada.

Canada banned the sale and use of some 1,500 models of assault weapons, just like the AR-15 rifle, two years in the past in the wake of a mass taking pictures in Portapique, Nova Scotia - a move some firearms homeowners say they're contesting in court docket. Talking alongside Trudeau, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed the "imminent launch of the preliminary part" of a program to buy again and compensate house owners of such weapons.

Whereas the Liberals have a minority of seats in Parliament, the laws may cross with the support of the left-leaning New Democratic Get together.

The deliberate legislation would stop anyone subject to a safety order or who has engaged in domestic violence or stalking from obtaining or maintaining a firearms license.

It will additionally require long-gun magazines to be completely altered to allow them to by no means hold greater than five rounds and can ban the sale and switch of large-capacity magazines.

The brand new legal guidelines would also ban some toys that appear like real guns, reminiscent of airsoft rifles. Last week Toronto police shot and killed a person carrying a pellet gun. learn extra

"Because they give the impression of being the identical as real firearms, police need to treat them as if they're real. This has led to tragic penalties," Justice Minister David Lametti informed reporters.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Affiliation, welcomed a number of the strikes, such as the "purple flag" provisions within the case of domestic violence, and mentioned he would really like more info on enforcement and resources for measures such as the handgun freeze.

He utterly supported a crackdown on pretend guns, which he stated have been a "massive challenge."

"You can't distinguish between what's a replica firearm and what's a real firearm, notably when these incidences involving duplicate firearms occur usually in very dynamic, shortly evolving circumstances."

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

He said authorities were not utilizing the instruments they already had to deal with gun violence, similar to calling individuals listed as references on gun license applications.

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

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