As a result of recent mass shootings in the Texas, United States, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested on Monday a ban on the importation and sale of handguns in Canada, which would virtually halt their possession. The law must yet be approved by Parliament, where the Liberals have a minority of seats.
Trudeau, joined by dozens of Canadian relatives and friends of victims of gun violence, stated at a press conference, “We’re presenting legislation to enact a nationwide handgun ownership freeze.”
It will no longer be able to buy, sell, transfer, or import firearms in Canada, he explained. In other words, the market for handguns will be capped.
In April 2020, the government outlawed 1,500 types of military-grade or assault-style rifles, days after Canada’s deadliest mass shooting, which left 23 people dead in rural Nova Scotia. On Monday, though, Trudeau recognised that gun violence continues to increase.
The Canadian government’s statistics office stated last week that weapons are involved in fewer than three per cent of all violent crimes.
Since 2009, however, the per capita rate of weapons aimed at someone has nearly quadrupled, while the rate of guns discharged with the intent to kill or injure has increased fivefold. In metropolitan areas, over two-thirds of gun crimes involved pistols.
As the primary source of handguns, police frequently cite smuggling from the United States, which is suffering from recent massacres at a school in Texas and a supermarket in New York state.
Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino estimates that there are around one million pistols in the United States, a huge increase from a decade earlier.
Trudeau stated, “People should feel safe going to the grocery store, their school, and their place of worship.” People should be able to visit parks and birthday parties without fear of stray bullets.
He stated, “Gun violence is a tough issue.” However, the math is fairly straightforward: the fewer firearms in our community, the safer everyone will be.
The proposed bill would also revoke the weapons licences of individuals convicted of domestic violence or stalking, confiscate firearms from those deemed a risk to themselves or others, and improve border security and criminal penalties for gun trafficking.
It would also prohibit magazines for long guns that can contain more than five rounds.
