Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday called for comprehensive measures, amendments to an existing gun control law that would allow municipalities to ban handguns and introduce a new federal repurchase program.
“You can not just fight one frontal gun violence or any violence,” Trudeau said at a news conference. “You can not fight it without addressing its causes.”
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The legislation not only includes increased fines for established illegal activities such as arms trafficking, but stricter restrictions on the importation of ammunition and increased policing authority.
The bill supports municipalities in drafting bylaws that make the possession, storage and transportation of small arms illegal.
Chief firearms officers would also have the power to suspend or revoke firearm licenses if there are ‘reasonable grounds to suspect’ that an individual is no longer able to maintain their license. This will enable authorities to investigate individuals who have been reported by friends or family members under a new “yellow flag” law.
“Gun ownership in Canada, in this country, is a privilege and not a right. It is a privilege that depends on strict compliance with our laws, our regulations and our restrictions,” said Bill Blair, Secretary of Public Safety. , told the Canada News Agency. News 1130.
Police and border officials would also be able to share licensing and registration information to investigate firearms cases, particularly with regard to arms smuggling along Canada’s southern border with the United States.
“Canadians have taken these bold steps, we have heard you and we are taking action,” Trudeau said, adding that a repurchase program will be introduced “in the coming weeks” to get firearms off the streets.
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“We are not targeting law-abiding citizens who possess weapons to go hunting or for sports,” the prime minister said. “The measures we apply are concrete and practical and they have one purpose, and only one purpose: to protect you, your family and your community.”
The legislation announced Tuesday is a ban on more than 1,500 types of firearms that Trudeau instituted in an assault style, introduced in May last year.