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

OTTAWA, Could 30 (Reuters) - Canada's government launched laws Monday to implement a "nationwide freeze" on the sale and buy of handguns as a part of a gun control package deal that might also limit journal capacities and ban some toys that appear like weapons.

The new laws, which resurrects some measures that have been shelved final 12 months amid a national election, comes just a week after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers of their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

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

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"We'd like only look south of the border to know that if we don't take action firmly and rapidly it will get worse and worse and will get tougher to counter," he said.

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

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

Canada has stronger gun legislation than the USA but while its gun homicide charge is lower than one-fifth the U.S. fee it's increased than that of different wealthy nations 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 least 1997, in line 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 in the past within the wake of a mass taking pictures in Portapique, Nova Scotia - a move some firearms house owners say they are contesting in court docket. Talking alongside Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed the "imminent launch of the preliminary section" of a program to buy again and compensate owners of such weapons.

Whereas the Liberals have a minority of seats in Parliament, the legislation might pass with the support of the left-leaning New Democratic Party.

The planned legislation would forestall anyone topic to a protection order or who has engaged in domestic violence or stalking from acquiring or maintaining a firearms license.

It should also require long-gun magazines to be permanently altered so they can never maintain greater than five rounds and will ban the sale and switch of large-capacity magazines.

The new legal guidelines would additionally ban some toys that appear to be real weapons, equivalent to airsoft rifles. Final week Toronto police shot and killed a man carrying a pellet gun. read more

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

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Affiliation, welcomed among the moves, such because the "crimson flag" provisions in the case of home violence, and said he would like more data on enforcement and assets for measures such because the handgun freeze.

He fully supported a crackdown on fake weapons, which he stated have been a "massive problem."

"You can not distinguish between what's a duplicate firearm and what's an actual firearm, notably when these incidences involving reproduction firearms happen often in very dynamic, rapidly evolving circumstances."

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

He mentioned authorities weren't utilizing the tools they already needed to tackle gun violence, similar to calling folks listed as references on gun license applications.

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

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Ideas.