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

OTTAWA, May 30 (Reuters) - Canada's government launched laws Monday to implement a "national freeze" on the sale and purchase of handguns as part of a gun management bundle that will also limit magazine capacities and ban some toys that appear like weapons.

The new legislation, which resurrects some measures that have been shelved final 12 months amid a national election, comes only a week after a gunman killed 19 kids and two teachers of their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters the brand new measures have been wanted as gun violence was growing.

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"We'd like only look south of the border to know that if we don't take action firmly and rapidly it will get worse and worse and gets harder to counter," he said.

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 don't count on a run on handguns in anticipation of the freeze, partly because they are so heavily regulated already, an official said in a briefing.

Canada has stronger gun legislation than the USA but while its gun murder charge is lower than one-fifth the U.S. fee it's increased than that of different rich international locations and has been rising. In 2020 it was 5 instances Australia's charge.

The speed in every of 2020 and 2017 was the country's highest since not less than 1997, in response to Statistics Canada.

Canada banned the sale and use of some 1,500 fashions of assault weapons, like the AR-15 rifle, two years ago within the wake of a mass shooting in Portapique, Nova Scotia - a transfer some firearms house owners say they're contesting in court. Speaking alongside Trudeau, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed the "imminent launch of the preliminary phase" of a program to buy 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 Party.

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

It would also require long-gun magazines to be completely altered so they can by no means hold more 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 guns, similar to airsoft rifles. Last week Toronto police shot and killed a man carrying a pellet gun. read extra

"As a result of they appear the identical as actual firearms, police have to deal with them as if they are actual. This has led to tragic consequences," Justice Minister David Lametti instructed reporters.

Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, welcomed a number of the moves, such because the "pink flag" provisions in the case of domestic violence, and mentioned he would like more info on enforcement and sources for measures such as the handgun freeze.

He fully supported a crackdown on faux guns, which he mentioned had been a "massive challenge."

"You can not distinguish between what's a replica firearm and what's an actual firearm, notably when these incidences involving reproduction firearms happen often in very dynamic, rapidly evolving circumstances."

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

He said authorities were not using the instruments they already needed to deal with gun violence, similar to calling individuals listed as references on gun license purposes.

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

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