Federal government introduces bill to limit handguns in the country

Canada announced the introduction of new gun control legislation. It says Bill C-21 puts forward some of the strongest gun control measures in 40 years.

“One Canadian killed by gun violence is one too many. I’ve seen all too well the tragic cost that gun violence has in our communities across the country. Today, we’re proposing some of the strongest measures in Canadian history to keep guns out of our communities and build a safer future for everyone,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a statement.

The new measures include a freeze on buying, selling and transferring handguns within the country, taking away the firearms licenses of those involved in acts of domestic violence and criminal harassment, such as stalking and increase the criminal penalties for gun smuggling and trafficking.

The government also says the new measures would include the creation of a new “red flag” law that would enable courts to require that individuals considered a danger to themselves or others surrender their firearms to law enforcement. Canada says it will invest $6.6 million to help raise awareness of the new law and provide support to vulnerable and marginalized groups to navigate provisions.

“We made a commitment to Canadians to tackle gun violence. The legislation we introduced today is part of our comprehensive strategy to promote safe and responsible gun laws, invest in law enforcement to stop organized crime and illegal gun smuggling at the border, and to invest in communities to address root causes and prevent gun crime from occurring in the first place. This legislation will help to reduce gun violence and keep Canadians safe,” said Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino, in a statement.

Long-gun magazines will also be required to be permanently altered so they can never hold more than five rounds and will ban the sale and transfer of large capacity magazines under the Criminal Code.

Back in 2020, the government announced the ban of over 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms. It says a buyback program will be introduced to offer compensation to affected owners and businesses.