Canada bans 1,500 models of assault weapons after worst killing in history

Less than two weeks after the worst killing in Canadian history, Justin Trudeau announced a ban on assault weapons on Friday May 1, honoring a long-awaited campaign promise in the aftermath of a series of shocking shootings the country.

"These weapons were designed for one purpose only: to kill the greatest number of people as quickly as possible. And they have no use and have no place in Canada," said the officer. Prime Minister at his daily press conference.

The government has adopted a decree banning the use, sale, import and transportation of these military-type assault weapons.

Assault weapon-style firearms designed for military use have no place in our communities. That is why we are going to ban 1,500 of them today. Details: https://t.co/BC7OiiegG0

The announcement comes twelve days after a man killed 22 people in Nova Scotia, in the southeast of the country. The assailant set fire to houses and used several weapons, at least one of which the police described as an assault weapon that is now prohibited. He was finally shot by the police.

"Many people across the country use firearms legally and responsibly, whether for work or hunting. But you don't need an AR-15 to shoot a deer," said Justin Trudeau.

Owners of these "law-abiding" weapons will be able to take advantage of a two-year amnesty period to comply with the new regulations, he added.

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More frequent shootings

Although less numerous than in the United States, shootings are not so exceptional in Canada and they even tend to "occur more often than before," said the Prime Minister.

"Events like the recent tragedy in Nova Scotia, the attack on the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec in 2017 and the massacre at the École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989 should never have happened," said Justin Trudeau.

On January 29, 2017, a man close to far-right circles, Alexandre Bissonnette, opened fire on faithful gathered to pray at the Quebec mosque, killing six people and seriously injuring several others.

On December 6, 1989, a 25-year-old man claiming to be "anti-feminist" broke into classrooms at the École Polytechnique in Montreal, armed with a rifle and a knife, before shooting exclusively at women, killing 13 female students and a secretary.

This tragedy, then unprecedented in the country, had led to the creation in 1995 of a register making it compulsory to register firearms in Canada, finally abolished for hunting weapons in 2012 by the previous Conservative government of Stephen Harper .

A campaign promise

Justin Trudeau made this ban a flagship promise in the electoral campaign that brought him to power in 2015. And he reiterated it during the legislative elections last October.

His government plans to soon introduce a bill providing "fair compensation" for the owners of the now banned weapons, but survivors of previous killings already say they fear that this buyout program is not mandatory.

A measure widely supported by Canadians

In Canada, there are currently more than 100,000 restricted firearms in circulation among the models now prohibited, according to the government.

Among the weapons now banned are the Ruger mini-14 used during the Polytechnique drama, the Vz58 rifle of the Quebec Mosque or the M16, AR-10 and AR-15 rifles.

Nearly four in five Canadians support the ban, according to a poll on Friday from the Angus Reid Institute, which consulted 1,581 people from Tuesday to Thursday.

With AFP

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