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

OTTAWA, May 30 (Reuters) - Canada's authorities introduced legislation Monday to implement a "national freeze" on the sale and purchase of handguns as part of a gun management bundle that would additionally restrict magazine capacities and ban some toys that look like weapons.

The new laws, which resurrects some measures that had been shelved final year amid a national election, comes just a week after a gunman killed 19 youngsters and two teachers in their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed reporters the brand new measures had been needed as gun violence was rising.

Register

"We need only look south of the border to know that if we do not take motion firmly and quickly it will get worse and worse and will get more difficult to counter," he stated.

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

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

Canada has stronger gun legislation than the United States however whereas its gun murder charge is less than one-fifth the U.S. charge it's greater than that of different wealthy international locations and has been rising. In 2020 it was 5 times Australia's rate.

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

Canada banned the sale and use of some 1,500 fashions of assault weapons, just like the AR-15 rifle, two years ago in the wake of a mass shooting in Portapique, Nova Scotia - a transfer some firearms homeowners say they're contesting in courtroom. Speaking alongside Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed the "imminent launch of the initial part" of a program to purchase again and compensate homeowners of such weapons.

While the Liberals have a minority of seats in Parliament, the legislation may pass with the assist of the left-leaning New Democratic Celebration.

The deliberate legislation would forestall anyone topic to a protection order or who has engaged in home violence or stalking from acquiring or holding a firearms license.

It would additionally require long-gun magazines to be completely altered so they can by no means maintain greater than 5 rounds and will ban the sale and transfer of large-capacity magazines.

The new laws would also ban some toys that seem like actual weapons, resembling airsoft rifles. Final week Toronto police shot and killed a person carrying a pellet gun. read more

"As a result of they give the impression of being the identical as real firearms, police have to deal with them as if they are actual. This has led to tragic consequences," Justice Minister David Lametti told reporters.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, welcomed a number of the moves, such as the "pink flag" provisions in the case of home violence, and mentioned he would like extra information on enforcement and resources for measures such because the handgun freeze.

He fully supported a crackdown on faux weapons, which he stated were a "big challenge."

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

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

He stated authorities were not utilizing the instruments they already needed to deal with gun violence, akin to calling people listed as references on gun license applications.

Register

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

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Ideas.