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

OTTAWA, May 30 (Reuters) - Canada's authorities launched legislation Monday to implement a "national freeze" on the sale and purchase of handguns as a part of a gun control package that would also limit journal capacities and ban some toys that seem like weapons.

The brand new legislation, which resurrects some measures that were shelved last year amid a national election, comes only a week after a gunman killed 19 kids and two teachers in their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed reporters the new measures had been needed as gun violence was rising.

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"We want only look south of the border to know that if we don't take motion firmly and quickly it will get worse and worse and gets more difficult to counter," he said.

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, partly as a result of they are so closely regulated already, an official mentioned in a briefing.

Canada has stronger gun laws than the US however whereas its gun homicide fee is less than one-fifth the U.S. charge it's larger than that of different wealthy nations and has been rising. In 2020 it was 5 instances Australia's charge.

The speed in every of 2020 and 2017 was the nation's highest since at the very least 1997, in line with Statistics Canada.

Canada banned the sale and use of some 1,500 models of assault weapons, 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 owners say they are contesting in court. Talking alongside Trudeau, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed the "imminent launch of the preliminary part" of a program to purchase back and compensate owners of such weapons.

Whereas the Liberals have a minority of seats in Parliament, the laws could go with the assist of the left-leaning New Democratic Occasion.

The deliberate legislation would forestall anyone subject to a protection order or who has engaged in domestic violence or stalking from acquiring or retaining a firearms license.

It will additionally require long-gun magazines to be completely altered to allow them to by no means hold greater than 5 rounds and will ban the sale and transfer of large-capacity magazines.

The new legal guidelines would also ban some toys that seem like real weapons, akin to airsoft rifles. Final week Toronto police shot and killed a man carrying a pellet gun. read extra

"Because they give the impression of being the same as actual firearms, police need to deal with them as if they are real. This has led to tragic penalties," Justice Minister David Lametti instructed reporters.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Affiliation, welcomed some of the moves, such as the "red flag" provisions in the case of domestic violence, and said he would love more information on enforcement and resources for measures such because the handgun freeze.

He completely supported a crackdown on pretend guns, which he said were a "huge problem."

"You can not distinguish between what's a duplicate firearm and what's a real firearm, significantly when these incidences involving reproduction firearms occur usually in very dynamic, rapidly evolving circumstances."

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

He mentioned authorities weren't using the tools they already had to sort out gun violence, reminiscent of calling folks listed as references on gun license functions.

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

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