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

OTTAWA, May 30 (Reuters) - Canada's government introduced legislation Monday to implement a "national freeze" on the sale and buy of handguns as a part of a gun control package deal that would also restrict journal capacities and ban some toys that seem like weapons.

The brand new laws, which resurrects some measures that were shelved final yr amid a nationwide election, comes only a week after a gunman killed 19 youngsters and two academics of their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

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

Register

"We'd like only look south of the border to know that if we don't take action firmly and quickly it gets worse and worse and gets harder to counter," he mentioned.

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

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

Canada has stronger gun legislation than the US but whereas its gun homicide charge is less than one-fifth the U.S. fee 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 very least 1997, in line with Statistics Canada.

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

Whereas the Liberals have a minority of seats in Parliament, the laws could move with the help of the left-leaning New Democratic Party.

The planned legislation would stop anybody subject to a safety order or who has engaged in domestic violence or stalking from acquiring or holding a firearms license.

It would additionally require long-gun magazines to be permanently altered to allow them to never maintain more than 5 rounds and will ban the sale and switch of large-capacity magazines.

The new legal guidelines would also ban some toys that appear to be actual weapons, resembling airsoft rifles. Last week Toronto police shot and killed a man carrying a pellet gun. learn extra

"Because they look 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 told reporters.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, welcomed a number of the strikes, such as the "red flag" provisions within the case of domestic violence, and stated he would love extra info on enforcement and sources for measures such as the handgun freeze.

He utterly supported a crackdown on pretend weapons, which he mentioned had been a "large problem."

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

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

He said authorities weren't using the tools they already needed to sort out gun violence, resembling 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 Rules.