Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces new gun control legislation in Ottawa, Ontario
(Picture: AP)Canada’s government is planning a total ban on the buying and selling of handguns.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed the “freeze” on short-barrelled firearm ownership in legislation introduced to the country’s parliament on Monday.
“As a government, as a society, we have a responsibility to act to prevent more tragedies,” Mr Trudeau said at a press conference where he was joined by families of shooting victims.
“Other than using firearms for sport shooting and hunting, there is no reason anyone in Canada should need guns in their everyday lives,” he added.
The legislation would not ban the ownership of handguns outright - but would make it illegal to buy them.
It marks the most ambitious attempt yet by Mr Trudeau’s government to restrict access to firearms.
It has already banned 1,500 types of military-style firearms and has expanded background checks.
The new bill would also require rifle magazines to be permanently altered so they can hold no more than five rounds at a time. It will ban the sale and transfer of large-capacity magazines.
It would also take away firearms licences from gun owners involved in domestic violence or criminal harassment, such as stalking.
The new measures are expected to pass in Canada’s Parliament later this year.
Canada already has stricter rules on gun ownership but there have been calls in recent years to tighten gun legislation, following a number of deadly shootings.
In April 2020, a gunman posing as a police officer killed 22 people during a shooting spree in Nova Scotia - the deadliest in Canada’s history.
The latest action comes in the wake of recent mass shootings in the US, including 19 children and two teachers in Texas last week.
