Canada must completely ban the buying and selling of all firearms, the country’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proclaimed.
His administration is proposing a new law that seeks to restrict private ownership of short-barreled weapons.
The legislation would not completely ban the possession of firearms, but would make buying them illegal.
In doing so, it would effectively limit the number of legally owned firearms in Canada to those currently registered.
Trudeau’s proposal comes days after 21 people ( 19 children and two teachers ) were killed in the shooting at an elementary school in Texas, in the neighboring United States, on May 24.
The recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has led many to rethink their position on gun legality.
The bill, introduced Monday in Canada’s parliament, contemplates the prohibition on buying, selling, transferring or importing firearms anywhere in the country.
“Other than using them for sport shooting and hunting, there is no reason why anyone in Canada needs firearms in their everyday lives,” Trudeau told reporters.
“As we see gun violence on the rise, it is our duty to continue to take action,” he said.
It is the Canadian government’s most ambitious attempt to restrict access to firearms.
The bill also calls for rifle magazines to be reconfigured. so that they cannot hold more than five rounds.
And it would revoke firearm licenses for gun owners involved in domestic violence or criminal harassment.
Unlike the U.S., gun ownership is not protected by the constitution in Canada, although firearms they are also quite popular, especially in rural areas of the country.
Canada has stricter rules on gun ownership and records fewer gun incidents each year compared to its southern neighbor.
For example, all firearms must be kept under lock and key and unloaded, and anyone wishing to purchase one has to undergo thorough background checks.
Still, there have been calls in recent years to further tighten Canadian gun legislation, especially after a series of deadly shootings.
In April 2020, a gunman posing as a police officer killed 22 people in Nova Scotia, the deadliest shooting in Canadian history.
Within days, Trudeau announced an immediate ban on 1,500 different types of military and assault weapons.
