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

OTTAWA, May 30 (Reuters) - Canada's authorities introduced legislation Monday to implement a "nationwide freeze" on the sale and buy of handguns as part of a gun management package deal that will also limit journal capacities and ban some toys that appear like weapons.

The new laws, which resurrects some measures that had been shelved last 12 months amid a nationwide election, comes just a week after a gunman killed 19 youngsters and two lecturers of their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

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

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"We want solely look south of the border to know that if we don't take motion firmly and rapidly 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 security guards. Canadians who already own handguns can be allowed to maintain them.

Authorities don't 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 said in a briefing.

Canada has stronger gun legislation than the USA however whereas its gun homicide price is less than one-fifth the U.S. rate it's higher than that of other rich nations and has been rising. In 2020 it was five instances Australia's charge.

The speed in each of 2020 and 2017 was the country's highest since a minimum of 1997, in response to Statistics Canada.

Canada banned the sale and use of some 1,500 fashions of assault weapons, just like the AR-15 rifle, two years ago in the wake of a mass taking pictures in Portapique, Nova Scotia - a transfer some firearms homeowners say they're contesting in court docket. Talking alongside Trudeau, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed the "imminent launch of the initial 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 go with the help of the left-leaning New Democratic Get together.

The deliberate legislation would prevent anybody subject to a safety 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 completely altered to allow them to never maintain greater than 5 rounds and will ban the sale and switch of large-capacity magazines.

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

"Because they appear the identical as actual firearms, police have to treat them as if they're real. This has led to tragic consequences," Justice Minister David Lametti informed reporters.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, welcomed a number of the strikes, such as the "pink flag" provisions within the case of domestic violence, and said he would like more data on enforcement and assets for measures such as the handgun freeze.

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

"You can't distinguish between what's a reproduction firearm and what's an actual firearm, significantly when these incidences involving reproduction firearms occur usually in very dynamic, quickly evolving circumstances."

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

He said authorities weren't utilizing the tools they already had to deal with gun violence, reminiscent of calling individuals listed as references on gun license applications.

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

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Ideas.