OTTAWA-
Starting today, individuals and businesses can no longer import restricted handguns into Canada, with limited exceptions.
The measure announced earlier this month is intended to accelerate a key pillar of the federal effort to limit the number of firearms in the country.
In May, the Liberal government announced a plan to freeze the import, purchase, sale or transfer of firearms to help quell gun-related violence.
The measure is part of a broader gun control package that would allow automatic removal of gun licenses for people who commit domestic violence or engage in criminal harassment, such as stalking, as well as increase maximum penalties for smuggling. and arms trafficking to 14 years. from 10
Last spring, to ensure that the national firearms freeze could be implemented quickly, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino introduced regulatory amendments in both the House of Commons and the Senate.
However, the regulations are not expected to come into force until this fall, and the accompanying legislative measures have not yet been approved by Parliament.
The change that begins today will last until a permanent freeze is passed in Parliament and comes into force.
Arms control group PolySeSouvient hailed the stopgap measure earlier this month as a creative step that would slow the expansion of the firearms market.
Conservative public safety critic Raquel Dancho said the measure targets law-abiding citizens and businesses rather than illicit and contraband weapons.
The government says freezing the number of firearms in Canada will make people safer, noting that they were the most serious weapon in most violent firearm-related crimes between 2009 and 2020.
Additionally, the number of registered firearms in Canada increased by 71 percent between 2010 and 2020 to around 1.1 million.
“The whole universe of pistols has exploded,” Mendicino said in an interview. “And at the same time, we’ve seen gun violence skyrocket. That is not a coincidence, there is a correlation between those two trends.
“The growth of the universe of guns makes them more accessible to everyone, and that includes criminals.”
Liberals also stress the importance of investing in prevention programs to address the root causes of gun crime and stop it before it starts.
Additionally, the 2021 budget provided more than $312 million in new money to increase firearms tracing capacity and implement stronger border measures to counter gun smuggling and trafficking.
Mendicino points to a significant increase in gun seizures at the border last year compared to 2020 as evidence of progress.
“I am confident that we are making progress in the fight against illegal arms trafficking across our borders.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 19, 2022.