Canada bans new handgun sales in latest gun control action

[Mr. Sparkle]

Source: Reuters

Oct 21 (Reuters) - Regulations prohibiting the sale, purchase or transfer of handguns within Canada took effect on Friday, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the measure builds on earlier efforts banning handgun imports. The handgun freeze was announced in May alongside proposed legislation that would implement the nation's strongest gun control measures in 40 years as part of Trudeau's plan to tackle gun violence, his office said. But the freeze was criticized by the government of the western province of Alberta, which has previously said it will resist other gun control measures proposed by Ottawa.

"We have frozen the market for handguns in this country," Trudeau said at a news conference in Surrey, British Columbia, attended by family members of gun violence victims and other advocates. "As we see gun violence continue to rise... we have an obligation to take action," Trudeau added. "Today our national handgun freeze is coming into force." Friday's action stops people from buying, selling or transferring handguns within Canada, and prevents them from bringing newly acquired handguns into the country, according to the prime minister's office.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino called it the most significant action on gun violence in Canada in a generation. Trudeau's ruling Liberal government introduced bill C-21 to fight gun violence, and his office said Friday's move will help "keep Canadians safe" while the legislation is debated. In August, it banned imports until the law passes. "We've got to get that law passed as quickly as possible," Mendicino said, speaking alongside Trudeau.




Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-bans-new-handgun-sales-imports-latest-gun-action-2022-10-21/

[Turbineguy]

1. What is it with these Canadians?

Don't they like school shootings?

[Mysterian]

5. Or gun crime?

The vast majority of gun crime in the USA is with handguns.

[LiberalArkie]

24. I can't remember the last time I saw a store held up with a shot gun.

I did see the video of a liquor store that had BR glass in from of the clerk and a robber attempted to shoot the clerk with a shotgun. The robber had to be taken to the hospital.

[heckles65]

2. GOOD.

Cheers for you, Canada.

[docgee]

3. Handguns?

That seems kind of draconian. I'm all for banning assault rifles and military weapons and having psychological test and background checks. Banning handguns would go too far.

[Mysterian]

6. The vast majority of gun crime in the USA

is by handguns. If you can't "protect your home" with a 12 gauge, a hand gun won't make much difference.

[docgee]

11. What about protecting yourself?

If I was a woman, I would carry a gun.

[Mysterian]

13. Pepper spray or taser if you must live in fear

Then you don't accidentally kill yourself or anyone else.

Handguns and civilized society do not mix.

[speak easy]

19. "if you must live in fear"

some women don't have that choice

[Kaleva]

28. Statistics show that women would be much safer if men didn't have guns

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/guns-and-violence-against-women/

A major threat to women is an armed male spouse, boyfriend, ex, co-worker or acquaintance.

[speak easy]

30. Statistics show that women are more afraid

of rape than men. Because almost all rapists have guns

[Kaleva]

32. You can treat women being killed by male acquaintances as a joke

Most of us here don't treat it as such and that makes us progressives. One doesn't have to be a progressive to be a member here as long as they support and vote D or at least say they do.

[MicaelS]

26. I bet you are a CIS white man. n/t

[Chainfire]

17. Why would you make that judgement based upon gender?

[speak easy]

20. I don't know. Maybe it's because as many men as women

are raped

[Kaleva]

27. The biggest threat to a woman is a male acquaintance with a gun

[speak easy]

31. because almost all rapists have guns

[Kaleva]

33. Is there a reason you dismiss the thousands of women who are murdered?

Many of whom are victims of an armed male that they know?

[Straw Man]

35. Yes.

The vast majority of gun crime in the USA

is by handguns.

Take handguns out of the picture and watch that change. Overnight. Can you say "sawed-off 12-gauge"?

[Slammer]

39. handguns

In theory, I could hit my target using a handgun which has an integrated laser-sight on it, even if I'd just been woken up by some intruder, because I could literally see where the bullet is going to hit.

I could also hold the pistol in one hand, aiming it at the door, while calling 911 with the other hand, which is something I couldn't do while holding a shotgun.

I'm not a huge advocate of guns for home defense. But I have lived in places where the nearest cop was a 30 minute car ride away, even if he started responding to the call immediately. And I've had a number of friends who've lived in places where the nearest cop is a lot further away than that. (After I moved for college a friend from middle school decided he was going to rob a small bank because the nearest cop to the bank was a 30-40 minute drive away. He ended up wrecking his getaway car because the narrow road, which led back in the direction the cop would be coming from, had a large number of 90 degree turns which could only be managed by slowing way the hell down.)

I'd imagine there's a lot of places in western Canada where the nearest law enforcement officer likewise isn't very near.

Some people might feel they need a gun which they can get out of their nightstand quickly rather than going over and getting a shotgun out of a closet or gun cabinet.

[sl8]

7. What?

More than 90% of US gun homicides are committed with handguns.

Canada has always had very tough restrictions on handgun ownership and where they can be used. They also have always had far fewer gun homicides than the US.

Perhaps there's a connection.

[MichMan]

8. Then why the fixation by US politicians with banning assault weapons ?

and ignoring handguns, if it won't have a significant effect on gun violence?

[sl8]

9. I'm not sure whether or not that's a rhetorical question.

If not, it's a big question.

The simplest explanation is that politicians tend to do things for perceived political gain or advantage. That's a gross oversimplification, of course, but not l'm inclined to dig deep on the issue this morning.

If your question was rhetorical, then never mind.

[Hieronymus Phact]

10. it's a good question

One I've also asked.

[Chainfire]

16. For mass, random shootings assault weapons are the weapons of choice.

They are also the choice of traitors and seditionists. They want you to call AWs "sporting rifles" but that is only accurate if you consider mass murder a sport. AWs have no place in our society regardless of the validity of other types of firearms.

[Shermann]

18. Politicians generally focus on things they can actually change

Handguns are largely off the table due to the 2nd amendment. There is wiggle room with controlling assault weapons due to their military origins and lethality.

Assault weapons are also disproportionally used in high-profile mass shootings, furthering the interest by politicians.

[Fiendish Thingy]

12. They aren't completely banned- only the sale/transfer is banned

If you already have a handgun, you can keep it.

[Straw Man]

34. It's a very slow-acting ban ...

... but a ban nonetheless. It will take about a generation to be complete.

If you already have a handgun, you can keep it.

For now.

[EX500rider]

36. How so?

I own some antique firearms over a 100 years old that work just fine and will so for another 100+ years I imagine.

[Slammer]

40. According to how it's worded

It could be a slow-acting ban because it bans transfers of ownership.

The original owner will eventually die.

If the ownership of the gun can't be transferred to an heir, anyone owning the gun would be illegal.

Yeah, the gun itself would still be operational but that would no longer be relevant if the law bans transfers of ownership to an heir.

[Straw Man]

42. Slammer nailed it.

You might be in excellent health and all, but I doubt that you're going to be around in 100 years. When you die, your guns are forfeit -- transfer is illegal. When all current handgun owners are dead, private ownership of handguns dies with them.

[Chainfire]

15. They didn't ban handguns. They banned the buying, selling or trading of handguns.

[XorXor]

43. I view it the opposite. Hand guns are far more problematic than rifles

They account for most gun deaths. We just focus on rifles because they are used in most of the high profile random mass shootings. That's not say nothing should be done to address the issue of rifles, particularly rifles that are capable of accepting magazines with large capacities, though. But really if we just ban rifles then those folks will just use handguns, and ultimately it wouldn't do much for the overall gun violence rate. Gotta have solutions that deal with it all.

[twodogsbarking]

4. Makes sense. Will never fly in the U S of fucking A.

[walkingman]

14. Not sure what the love affair with guns is in the US but it is insane.

[OnlinePoker]

21. 59% of gun related crime in Canada involve handguns

"The report shows that the rate of firearm-related violent crime in 2009 stood at 29 per 100,000 people. This number dropped to 19 in 2013 as violent crime also fell overall, before returning to 29 in 2020."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/as-ottawa-readies-new-firearms-bill-statcan-says-violent-gun-crime-is-on-the-rise-1.5923276

Banning handgun sales will do next to nothing to stop violent gun crime. Criminals don't tend to care about gun laws and will get their handguns from the pool of weapons already available on the street.

[Slammer]

41. or break the law to bring a gun across a border n/t

[republianmushroom]

22. YES

Canada seems to understand the problem. I tip my hat to you.

[IronLionZion]

23. Thoughts and prayers

for Canadian gun nuts

[Sneederbunk]

25. Doesn't Canada have an NRA-type thorn in its side?

[Kaleva]

29. It wouldn't bother me if the same was done here in the US

[2live is 2fly]

37. When people can't find a handgun in the streets they may sometime make their own, if they (or their-

homeboys, lol) can't physically make them in garage machine shops, they simply saw-off shotguns & rifles. Two peices of pipe + $20.00 at the corner hardware store will consistently discharge (slam-fire) a shotgun shell. I think if I had to get shot, I'd much prefer the handgun bullet every single time.

Some Canadian gun laws allow for exceptions like where it may be illegal to purchase a handgun out-right, a person 16 years or older is allowed to carry a .22 cal. handgun while running a trapline and centerfire handguns also may be purchased/carried in areas frequented by bears.

[SlimJimmy]

38. Guns laws are great. The only problem is that criminals

don't follow them.