Canada announced on Friday that it would temporarily forbid the import of restricted handguns from August 19. The step is intended to obliquely further the objectives of gun restriction legislation put forth in May.
The Canadian government announced in a statement that the import embargo would remain in effect until a nationwide firearm freeze took effect. In an effort to combat gun violence, the Liberal administration of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed bill C-21 in May.
While away on vacation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Twitter. “On August 19th, Canada will outlaw the importing of handguns. According to his tweet, the prohibition will be in place until the nationwide handgun freeze.
Bill C-21
The decision was made to back the gun control legislation that was put forth in May of this year. Bill C-21, proposed legislation by the government to ban the use, acquisition, and sale of handguns in Canada, has already been introduced.
According to a press statement from the prime minister’s office at the time, if the proposed law is approved, it will “block anyone from bringing freshly obtained handguns into Canada and from buying, selling, and transferring handguns within the nation.”
Gun Violence in Canada
Bill C-21 was introduced after the heartbreaking incident that involved the shooting of 19 students and two instructors at a school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24. Although, no significant changes were made to the Canadian weapons license system as the bill did not pass.
On the contrary, the announcement of a bill to impose a countrywide handgun ban was met with backlash. As consumers flocked to stores to purchase firearms before the countrywide freeze went into effect, the country saw an increase in the sale of weaponry.
Now, following its summer recess, parliament is anticipated to pass the law in September. Therefore, in order to stop gun dealers from increasing their inventory, the government temporarily outlawed the import of handguns. This will assist in achieving the main goal of the Canadian firearm ban, which might go into place soon.
The most effective approach to keep Canadians safe, according to Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino, is to impose “a temporary import embargo on the entry of prohibited handguns.” Additionally, he stated that the ban would be in place until the national freeze took effect.
“Today’s news is a piece of evidence that we are utilizing all available resources to combat gun violence in the country. It is a crucial component of our strategy to combat it, along with investments in prevention, action at our borders, a prohibition on assault-style weapons, and Bill C-21 is Canada’s most important gun control measure in a generation, according to Mendicino.
It is important to note that although Canadian gun laws are much stronger than those in the USA, the country has a higher gun homicide rate than many other affluent nations.
According to a news release from the Canadian government, law enforcement is completely dedicated to stopping the illegal arms trade at the border. In 2021 compared to 2020, the government captured more than twice as many guns at the border and the number of weapons seized was likewise the largest in recent years.
Despite the government’s efforts to combat illegal trade, Canada imported $26.4 million worth of firearms between January and June of this year, an increase of almost 52 percent over the same time in 2021.
