Justin Trudeau Proposes New Law To Make It Illegal To Buy And Sell Handguns In Canada
Justin Trudeau has proposed a law that will see the buying and selling of short-barrelled firearms, like handguns, banned in Canada.
Politico reports that the Canadian Prime Minister made the announcement during a press conference in front of Cabinet ministers, Liberal MPs and gun control advocates in Ottawa.
“It will no longer be possible to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in Canada,” he said.
Mr Trudeau added that the move to ban the sale of handguns was to help ‘cap’ the market.
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"Gun violence is a complex problem, but at the end of the day the math is really quite simple, the fewer the guns in our communities, the safer everyone will be," he said.
He said the new legislation would see firearm licenses retracted from those with domestic violence and criminal harassment history.
The Prime Minister also shared that long magazine guns would ‘never’ be able to shoot more than five rounds.
"We don't need assault-style weapons that were designed to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time," he said.
The Prime Minister added: "Other than using firearms for sport shooting and hunting, there is no reason anyone in Canada should need guns in their everyday lives.
"As we see gun violence continue to rise, it is our duty to keep taking action
The anti-gun legislation will still have to pass through Canada's parliament and would also seek to throw the book at those convicted of gun smuggling and trafficking.
Prime Minister Trudeau hopes the bill will crack down on the weapons black market 'by increasing maximum criminal penalties and providing more tools for law enforcement to investigate firearm crimes'.
The new bill comes less than a week after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old-gunman broke into a classroom at Robb Elementary, killing 19 children and two teachers.
As the tragedy marks the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook, the calls for the US to implement stricter gun laws continue to grow.
US President Joe Biden said he's trying to reason with Congress to enforce tighter background checks for gun owners and restrict ownership of assault weapons, according to The Hill.
He told reporters: “I can’t dictate this stuff.
“I can do the things I’ve done and any executive action I can take, I’ll continue to take. But I can’t outlaw a weapon. I can’t change a background check.
"I can’t do that.”
President Biden also added that amending the United States legislation relies on ‘rational Republicans’ and that he is trying to negotiate with other members of the Senate.
Charisa Bossinakis