Ottawa announced Friday an immediate freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns.
The Minister of Public Security, Marco Mendicino, indicated on Twitter that the freeze was put in place after his colleague at Justice, David Lametti, made the announcement at a press briefing in Montreal.
Mr. Mendicino is scheduled to speak to the media later Friday from British Columbia, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Justin Trudeau’s government had already announced its intention to impose a national freeze on the purchase, sale, transfer and import of handguns by tabling, in May, its Bill C-21 which is currently in the study.
The import ban has already been in effect since August.
Bill C-21 also provides for the withdrawal of firearms licenses from persons who commit acts of domestic violence.
Regarding the freeze that came into effect on Friday, Minister Mendicino had tabled changes by regulation at the same time as Bill C-21 was introduced. He had let it be known that the process was taking some time, which meant implementing this fall.
Bill C-21 provides exemptions to the freeze for certain high-level sports shooters. Groups representing sports shooters are calling for an expansion of the scope of these exemptions.
Called upon to react to the pressure exerted by these groups, Minister Lametti denounced their efforts during his press briefing in Montreal.
“It’s disturbing, even shocking, to see an attempt to reduce the scope of this bill, to give more space to handguns,” he said.
Mr. Lametti added that Ottawa has “nothing against real sportsmen” and has therefore provided exemptions for this purpose.