Restricted handguns can no longer be imported into Canada pending the entry into force of the bill that should ban their sale in the country, announced the federal Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino.
“It will be prohibited for all individuals and businesses in Canada to import handguns,” said the minister in the suburbs of Toronto on Friday, the day after an announcement in Montreal for funding for the Quebec strategy to combat against gun violence.
Since almost all of the weapons of this type in circulation in the country are imported, this amounts to instituting the national freeze on handguns sooner than expected, explained Marco Mendicino, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Mélanie Pretty. The regulatory measure will take effect on August 19.
“We must prevent the shelves of merchants who sell handguns from really filling up, when we are trying to restrict firearms, handguns, in our communities,” added Minister Joly.
The Liberal government introduced Bill C-21 this spring, which provides for a “national freeze” on the number of handguns, including a ban on the purchase, sale and import of handguns on the Canadian territory. The bill is currently being considered by the federal parliament, which is on recess for the summer.
This bill has drawn its fair share of criticism, with some deeming that it does not sufficiently target armed criminals. When it was announced, gun enthusiasts flocked to dealers for the guns targeted by the freeze.
The pressure group PolySeSouvient welcomed the ban on the import of weapons earlier than planned. “This is an important and innovative measure that will undoubtedly slow the expansion of the Canadian handgun market pending the passage of Bill C-21, hopefully this fall,” wrote Nathalie Provost. , survivor of the 1989 Polytechnique massacre, in a statement.
On Thursday, the federal government announced the payment of $41.8 million to Quebec to fund community initiatives aimed at young people most at risk of falling into armed violence.