Regulations banning the sale, purchase, or transfer of short-barreled firearms have come into effect in Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was a continuation of previous efforts to ban the import of such weapons, Reuters reported.
The freeze on firearms sales was announced in May when legislation was also proposed to impose the country’s toughest gun control measures in 40 years as part of Trudeau’s plan to tackle gun violence, his office said.
“We have frozen the gun market in this country,” Trudeau said yesterday at a news conference in Surrey, British Columbia, attended by family members of gun violence victims and activists. We have seen an escalation of violence and it is our duty to act, Trudeau said in announcing the ban.
The new regulations prohibit the purchase, sale, or transfer of firearms, and do not allow the importation of newly acquired weapons into the country, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said it was the most significant action against gun violence in Canada in a generation.
Canada has stricter firearms laws than the US, but Canadians can own firearms if they have a permit. Some firearms must be registered.
