Canada bans handguns in latest gun control move

Canada’s nationwide freeze on handgun sales ban started on Friday. The aim of the wide-ranging ban is to attempt to reduce gun violence and reduce the number of handguns in circulation.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the ban, which will present citizens buying or selling handguns, transferring the ownership of handguns within Canada or bring newly purchased handguns into Canada.

“The national handgun freeze is part of the government’s comprehensive plan to tackle gun violence. We have already banned over 1,500 types of assault-style firearms and have strengthened our gun control laws to expand background checks,” Trudeau said of the bill.

“Bill C-21 proposes further measures to keep guns out of the wrong hands like revoking the firearms licences of those involved in acts of domestic violence or criminal harassment, continuing to fight gun smuggling and trafficking, and providing law enforcement more tools to investigate firearms crimes.”

“One life taken by gun violence is one too many. We will continue to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, and municipalities to keep Canadians safe. We will continue to do whatever it takes to keep guns out of our communities and build a safer country, for everyone,” Trudeau said.

Marco E. L. Mendicino, who is the minister of public safety, praised the legislation and noted that the Canadian government will not stop working to fight gun crime.

“Our government is taking Canada’s most significant action on gun violence in a generation. We made a commitment to Canadians that we would act – and we are. The national freeze will tackle the alarming role of handguns in crime, gender-based violence, and more. We are using all tools at our disposal to fight gun violence and will not rest until all Canadians feel safe in their communities.”

According to national statistics from the office of the Prime Minister, handguns were used in 59 percent of violent crime involving firearms between 2009 and 2020, over 3,500 guns were stolen in 2018 and one in three woman who is killed by an abuser dies as a result of a gun.

Tyler Shandro, who is Alberta’s Minister of Justice, said his opposition to the law by saying that it punishes law-abiding firearms owners.

“The federal government’s real goal is to scapegoat handgun owners and use wedge politics to appeal to a narrow base of voters who wish to see legal firearm ownership in this country eliminated entirely,” Shandro said in a statement.