The Canadian government introduced legislation on Monday to implement a ‘national freeze’ on the sale and purchase of handguns as part of a gun control package that would also limit magazine capacities and prohibit certain toys that resemble firearms.
The new legislation, which resurrects some measures that were shelved last year during a national election, comes just one week after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in their Uvalde, Texas, classroom.
According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, new measures are required because gun violence is on the rise.
‘We only need to look south of the border to see that if we don’t act firmly and quickly, it gets worse and worse and more difficult to counter,’ he said.
The handgun ban would include exceptions for elite sport shooters, Olympic athletes, and security guards. Existing handgun owners in Canada would be allowed to keep them.
Authorities do not anticipate a rush on handguns in anticipation of the freeze, in part because they are already heavily regulated, according to an official briefing.
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