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

OTTAWA, Might 30 (Reuters) - Canada's government introduced legislation Monday to implement a "nationwide freeze" on the sale and purchase of handguns as a part of a gun control bundle that will also limit journal capacities and ban some toys that appear like weapons.

The brand new laws, which resurrects some measures that had been shelved last 12 months amid a national election, comes just a week after a gunman killed 19 kids and two lecturers of their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

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

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

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

Authorities don't expect a run on handguns in anticipation of the freeze, in part as a result of they're so heavily regulated already, an official said in a briefing.

Canada has stronger gun legislation than america but while its gun murder charge is less than one-fifth the U.S. price it is greater than that of other rich countries and has been rising. In 2020 it was five occasions Australia's rate.

The speed in each of 2020 and 2017 was the country's highest since at the least 1997, according to 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 taking pictures in Portapique, Nova Scotia - a transfer some firearms homeowners say they are contesting in court. Talking alongside Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed the "imminent launch of the initial section" of a program to purchase back and compensate homeowners of such weapons.

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

The planned legislation would prevent anyone topic to a safety order or who has engaged in home violence or stalking from acquiring or preserving a firearms license.

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

The brand new legal guidelines would additionally ban some toys that appear like real guns, corresponding to airsoft rifles. Final week Toronto police shot and killed a man carrying a pellet gun. read extra

"Because 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 instructed reporters.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, welcomed among the strikes, such because the "red flag" provisions in the case of home violence, and mentioned he would really like extra info on enforcement and sources for measures such as the handgun freeze.

He completely supported a crackdown on faux guns, which he said had been a "big problem."

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

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

He said authorities were not utilizing the instruments they already had to tackle gun violence, akin to calling people listed as references on gun license purposes.

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

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