Questions about the scope of the handgun “national freeze”

After the program to buy back prohibited assault weapons, which will become mandatory, it is the turn of handguns to be in the sights of the federal government.

We are moving forward with a bill that will make it no longer possible to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns into CanadaCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at a press conference on Monday.

The measures should be in effect from next fall.

A step in the right direction

Louis March, founder of the movement Zero Gun Violencebelieves that this is an important step towards acknowledging the problem.

However, he expresses reservations about the approach envisaged by the government. We have enough laws and regulations in our country to prohibit the use of firearms, he says. Will more laws really help us?

People who already own a handgun will be able to keep it, but Justin Trudeau intends to tighten the screw to limit the risks.

The courts will be able to require the holders of a weapon to hand it over to the authorities if they are considered a danger to themselves or to those around them.

Long gun magazines will now only be able to hold five rounds. And prison sentences will be increased from 10 to 14 years for anyone involved in the firearms trade.

” The national freeze targets the wrong people. »

Mr. March believes that it is necessary instead to attack the core of the violence, that is to say the illegal weapons.

Tighten border security measures

The smuggling of illegal firearms across the Canada-US border remains a major issue since it is through the various entry points that Canadian criminal organizations obtain their supplies from our neighbors to the south.

We know that to reduce access to illegal firearms, we must reduce gun trafficking across our borderssaid Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti during Monday’s announcement.

Weapons that are used in communities are illegal weapons that cross the border, assures Mr. March. He deplores the fact that the Trudeau government has not given details on the security measures that will have to be reinforced at the border.

The mayor of Toronto has nevertheless lent his support to Ottawa as the country’s major cities are particularly affected by armed violence.

” We must end the illegal movement of handguns across the border. »

I support any action the Government of Canada can take to end gun violence and its devastating effects on communitiesreads a press release from City of Toronto Mayor John Tory.

He adds that he is in favor of harsher prison sentences and believes in engaging with children and families to address the roots of gun violence.

Understand the problem to solve it

The organization Yonge Street Mission offers social services to young people in difficulty. The majority of its clientele does not come from areas affected by gun violence, but the bill is still well received.

If we are able to address the root cause of violence in the community […] I think it can be extremely positive for our young peoplesays supervisor Cristal Hines.

She believes this can help her clients better understand the consequences offenses they may have committed.

For Louis March, the solution lies rather in a national strategy. Tackling the real problem of gun violence requires a collaborative approach between the federal government, provinces and municipalitieshe explains.

From coast to coast, says Mr. March, firearms issues can affect the jurisdictions of every level of government.

According to the 2020 Commissioner of Firearms Report, over one million firearms are registered in Canada. So the Trudeau government’s bill has the power to reduce that number, but we’ll have to wait and see if the gun violence statistics will improve.