Canada introduces law 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 management bundle that may also limit magazine capacities and ban some toys that look like guns.

The brand new legislation, which resurrects some measures that have been shelved last year amid a nationwide election, comes just a week after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers of their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters the new measures have been needed as gun violence was increasing.

Register

"We'd like only 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 stated.

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

Authorities do not anticipate a run on handguns in anticipation of the freeze, in part as a result of they're so closely regulated already, an official mentioned in a briefing.

Canada has stronger gun laws than the United States but whereas its gun homicide rate is less than one-fifth the U.S. charge it's greater than that of different rich international locations and has been rising. In 2020 it was five occasions Australia's price.

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

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

The planned laws would stop anyone subject to a protection order or who has engaged in domestic violence or stalking from obtaining or protecting a firearms license.

It would additionally require long-gun magazines to be completely altered so they can never hold more than five rounds and will ban the sale and transfer of large-capacity magazines.

The new laws would also ban some toys that appear like real weapons, similar to airsoft rifles. Last week Toronto police shot and killed a man carrying a pellet gun. read more

"As a result of they appear the same as actual firearms, police need to treat them as if they are real. 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 strikes, such because the "pink flag" provisions within the case of home violence, and stated he would like extra information on enforcement and sources for measures such because the handgun freeze.

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

"You can not distinguish between what's a duplicate firearm and what's a real firearm, significantly when these incidences involving reproduction firearms happen 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 stated authorities were not using the instruments they already needed to deal with gun violence, reminiscent of calling people listed as references on gun license applications.

Register

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

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.