Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada should introduce a total ban on handguns ownership. His government is proposing a new law. This would freeze private ownership of all short-barrelled firearms.
The legislation would not ban the ownership of handguns outright. But would make it illegal to buy them. Mr. Trudeau’s proposal comes days after a deadly shooting at a Texas primary school. This happened in the neighboring US and killed 21 people.
The bill got presented to Canada’s parliament on Monday. This makes it impossible to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns ownership anywhere in the country.
Mr. Trudeau told reporters, “Other than using firearms for sport shooting and hunting; there is no reason anyone in Canada should need guns in their everyday lives.” However, he added that we must keep taking action due to the continuous rise in gun violence.
This marks the most ambitious attempt yet made by his government. This is to restrict access to firearms. The bill would also require rifle magazines to get reconfigured. They can hold no more than five rounds at a time.
And it would take away firearms licenses from gun owners. These gun owners get involved in domestic violence or criminal harassment. Unlike in the US, handguns ownership didnot enshrined in Canada’s constitution. But firearms are still popular, especially in rural parts of the country.
Canada already has stricter rules on gun ownership. This is more than its southern neighbor. As a result, it records fewer firearm incidents every year. But there are calls in recent years to tighten gun legislation.
In April 2020, a gunman posing as a police officer killed 22. This was in a shooting spree in Nova Scotia – the deadliest in Canada’s history. Mr. Trudeau announced an immediate ban on 1,500 different kinds of military-grade and assault-style weapons. As well, the new bill would effectively limit the number of legally-owned handguns in Canada.
Credits: BBC
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