“The 85 to 90% of the weapons that end up in Canada come from the United States”, says Francis Langlois, firearms specialist, Tuesday, May 31 on franceinfo. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced plans for a nationwide freeze on handgun ownership following the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings in the United States. Francis Langlois, who is also a member of the Observatory on the United States of the University of Quebec in Montreal, believes that “it is really at the level of the borders that we must act” because “Most of the weapons used by criminals on the streets of major Canadian cities come from the United States”.
franceinfo: What is this bill?
Francis Langlois: In summary, the Liberal Party has decided to ban the buying, selling and trading of handguns. Those who are already owners will be able to keep their weapon and use it on the shooting range or during competitions but, in the long term, we will not be able to buy it back or exchange it. If someone wants to get rid of them, they will have to sell them to the government or have them destroyed. The government wants to force assault rifle owners to sell their guns to the government.
The government also announced measures to strengthen border controls since 85 to 90% of the weapons that end up in Canada come from the United States. Finally, mechanisms to facilitate the seizure of weapons from people who could be a threat to themselves or others are put in place.
Are firearms owners not sufficiently supervised today in Canada?
The Prime Minister reacts to the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings in the United States. This also follows the Portapique massacre in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia in 2020. The government then promised to act on the subject but the bills were quite disappointing. The problem is that most of the weapons used by criminals on the streets of big cities like Montreal, Toronto, Regina or even Calgary come from the United States. These are illegal weapons and therefore it is really at the level of the borders that we must act.
“The Canadian federal government is dependent on the US government in the fight against firearms trafficking.”
Francis Langlois, firearms specialistat franceinfo
Does this law have a chance of passing the Canadian Parliament?
Very strong chances despite the minority government of Justin Trudeau. Opposition parties, like the Bloc Québécois, support this kind of legislation. In principle, therefore, the law could be adopted by the next election. Moreover, according to polls, more than two-thirds of Canadians are in favor of banning assault rifles and regulating firearms.
For the majority of Canadians, the government’s power to legislate gun control is a good way to fight violence and crime. They are perhaps less likely to be in favor of a total ban, but for a stricter framework, that’s for sure. Even if, of course, it varies from one region to another, particularly in western Canada or in certain rural areas where people are less in favor of gun control.