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

OTTAWA, Could 30 (Reuters) - Canada's government introduced legislation Monday to implement a "national freeze" on the sale and buy of handguns as part of a gun control package that would additionally restrict magazine capacities and ban some toys that seem like guns.

The new laws, which resurrects some measures that had been shelved last year amid a national election, comes just a week after a gunman killed 19 youngsters and two teachers of their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters the new measures were needed as gun violence was rising.

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"We want only look south of the border to know that if we do not take motion firmly and quickly it gets worse and worse and will get tougher to counter," he stated.

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

Authorities do not expect a run on handguns in anticipation of the freeze, partly because they are so heavily regulated already, an official mentioned in a briefing.

Canada has stronger gun legislation than america but while its gun murder price is lower than one-fifth the U.S. charge it is larger than that of different wealthy countries and has been rising. In 2020 it was five occasions Australia's rate.

The speed in every of 2020 and 2017 was the nation's highest since at least 1997, based on 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 in the wake of a mass shooting in Portapique, Nova Scotia - a move some firearms house owners say they are contesting in courtroom. Speaking alongside Trudeau, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed the "imminent launch of the initial section" of a program to purchase again and compensate owners of such weapons.

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

The deliberate laws would stop anyone subject to a protection order or who has engaged in domestic violence or stalking from obtaining or keeping a firearms license.

It is going to additionally require long-gun magazines to be permanently altered to allow them to never maintain greater than five rounds and can ban the sale and transfer of large-capacity magazines.

The brand new laws would also ban some toys that look like actual weapons, resembling airsoft rifles. Final week Toronto police shot and killed a man carrying a pellet gun. learn more

"As a result of they give the impression of being the identical as actual firearms, police must treat them as if they're real. This has led to tragic penalties," Justice Minister David Lametti told reporters.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Affiliation, welcomed a few of the strikes, such as the "red flag" provisions within the case of domestic violence, and mentioned he would really like extra info on enforcement and assets for measures such as the handgun freeze.

He fully supported a crackdown on fake weapons, which he stated had been a "huge challenge."

"You cannot distinguish between what's a replica firearm and what's an actual firearm, notably when these incidences involving reproduction firearms occur usually in very dynamic, shortly evolving circumstances."

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

He said authorities weren't using the tools they already needed to deal with gun violence, such as 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

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