Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has introduced legislation that would put a national freeze on importing, buying or selling handguns. It will also require rifle magazines to be permanently altered to never hold more than five rounds.
Bill Blair, minister of emergency preparedness, said Canada is very different from the United States.
Blair noted guns are often smuggled in illegally from the U.S., which he noted has one of the largest small arms arsenals in the world. The bill would create a new “red flag” law allowing courts to require that people considered a danger to themselves or others surrender their firearms to police. The government said the measure would guard the safety of those applying through the process, often women in danger of domestic abuse, by protecting their identities.
The new measures are assured of passing in Canada’s Parliament as the ruling Liberals and leftist opposition New Democrats have enough votes.