Canada passes bill to ban sales of handguns, gun-like toys

This is considered part of the policy gun control in Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a proposal to “freeze” handgun ownership in Canada, banning the import and sale of this weapon, after the recent mass shootings in the neighboring country. neighbor America.

“We are enacting the law to carry out the order Prohibit possession of handguns nationwide“, Mr. Trudeau said at a news conference on May 30, attended by dozens of relatives and friends of victims of gun violence.This means that it will no longer be possible to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in Canada. In other words, we are limiting the pistol market“.

The bill still needs to be approved by the Canadian Parliament.

The proposed law would take away possession of a handgun from anyone involved in domestic violence or tracking their gun license; take away guns from people deemed a risk to themselves or others, as well as increase border security and criminalize behavior gun trade.

The bill would also ban magazines capable of holding more than five rounds.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a press conference on the gun control bill at the House of Commons of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, May 30, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)

Days after Canada’s worst mass shooting that left 23 people dead in rural Nova Scotia in April 2020, the Government of this country has banned 1,500 types of military-grade or assault-style firearms.

However, Prime Minister Trudeau also acknowledged on May 30 that gun violence continues to increase in the country.

The Government of Canada Statistics Office reported last week that gun-related violent crime accounts for less than 3% of all violent crime in Canada. However, since 2009, the average rate of firearms that have been fired at someone has nearly tripled, while the percentage of guns fired with the intent to kill or injure a person has increased fivefold. .

Nearly two-thirds of gun crimes in urban areas involve handguns.

Canadian police point to smuggling from the United States, which is reeling from recent shootings at a school in Texas and at a supermarket in New York state, as the main source of handguns.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino estimates there are about one million handguns in the country, a significant increase from a decade ago.

Mr. Trudeau said: “People should be free to go to the supermarket, to their school or place of worship without fear. Everyone should be free to go to the park or to a birthday party without worrying about what could happen from a stray bullet. Gun violence is a complex issue. But in the end, the math is actually pretty simple, the fewer guns in our community, the safer everyone is“.

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