Canada: Justin Trudeau wants a freeze on handgun sales
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces that he wants to change the legislation on handguns, after the killings in the neighboring United States, May 30, 2022. © Patrick Doyle / The Canadian Press via AP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans for a "
national handgun ownership freeze
" on Monday , following recent killings in the neighboring United States.
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“
We are introducing legislation to enforce a national freeze on the possession of handguns
,” the prime minister said at a press conference, which he gave in the company of several dozen relatives of victims of gun violence. .
"
This means that it will no longer be possible to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in Canada
," he added.
Reminder: earlier today, a bill was introduced which, once passed by Parliament, will further strengthen Canada's gun control laws.
To learn more, watch this video and click this link: https://t.co/39eBGsBYeh pic.twitter.com/MzZ2SVFKVc
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 31, 2022
Canada
had already banned 1,500 models of
military-style firearms after an April 2020 shooting, the worst in the country's history, that left 23 dead in Nova Scotia.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino estimates that about one million handguns are circulating in the country, many of which are illegally imported from the United States.
►
To read also
: in Canada, the toll of the worst shooting in the history of the country is growing
"
Gun violence is a complex issue
," Trudeau said.
“
But at the end of the day, the math is really quite simple
: the fewer guns there are in our communities, the safer everyone will be
,” he added.
This announcement comes after
the massacre at the school in Uvalde
, Texas, in which 19 children aged 9 to 11 and two teachers perished under the bullets of a teenager who legally bought an assault rifle.
Tougher penalties for arms trafficking
Justin Trudeau's proposal was criticized by the Conservative opposition.
"
The real problem in this country is not the law-abiding gun owners, who are tightly regulated and tightly controlled
," said John Brassard, Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, at Radio Canada.
The Canadian bill also plans to prevent anyone involved in domestic violence from obtaining a gun license, and to toughen penalties for gun trafficking.
Rifle magazines that can hold more than five bullets will also be prohibited.
The Coalition for Gun Control, founded after the murder of 14 women at a Montreal university in 1989, applauded the project.
"
The proposed phase-out of private possession of handguns is a major step forward, and shows that the government has listened to the voices of victims
," the organization's president, Wendy Cukier, said in a statement.
After more than a 30-year fight for stronger gun laws, the Coalition for Gun Control applauds "game-changing" proposed law 🇨🇦 #guncontrol #cdnpoli https://t.co/f7MXgKzNlL
— CoalitionforGunControl (@CGCguncontrol) May 30, 2022
(With AFP)
►Also read: In Canada, Montreal faces an upsurge in armed violence
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Canada
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Justin Trudeau