“These are the strongest measures to combat the armed violence that our country has ever seen,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference on Tuesday in the capital, Ottawa.
The legislation, which would still take months to become law, also introduces a voluntary repurchase program of about 150,000 to 200,000 legally owned assault weapons in Canada. Owners of the now banned weapons can still choose to keep them, although they can no longer use them as weapons and would be subject to strict licenses and storage laws.
Mayors seek solution to aggravate armed violence
Trudeau acknowledged that there would be political consequences on both sides of the gun control debate. The mayors of Canada’s two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal, have defended the national ban on firearms as armed violence worsens in those cities.
In a statement obtained by CNN, Toronto Mayor John Tory said that city officials are reviewing the proposed new set of laws and that the city is receiving federal government efforts to curb armed violence. But Tory also reaffirmed his city’s support for the national firearms ban.
“The Toronto City Council has made it clear that it supports the national firearms ban. The federal government said the changes announced today would allow municipalities to ban firearms and include federal penalties for those who violate local statutes. The city hopes to receive details Government of Canada on how such a ban would work and what its impact on armed violence would be, “Tory said in the statement.
Federal government officials said that cities cannot act alone and that provincial governments, several of which indicated they did not support the firearms ban, would have final jurisdiction.
Law enforcement officials say random armed violence in Canadian cities continues to worsen, with deaths increasingly associated with gang violence.
A teenager was killed in a gunfight earlier this month in Montreal, prompting the mayor to call for a national firearm ban again.
“Obviously, there are political elements to this, but the reason why we are doing this, the reason why Canadians want this to be done, is to keep our communities safe. In Canada, people can use guns for hunting and shooting, not for personal protection use. And there is no need (of) military-style assault weapons anywhere in this country, “said Trudeau.
In his press conference, Trudeau highlighted a key component of the new set of laws, the “red flag” and “yellow flag” provisions. He said they would help combat intimate partner and gender violence by allowing people to appeal to the courts to order the removal of a person’s firearm or suspend their firearms license.
No happy side
Gun control advocates have noted that while the proposed legislation is comprehensive, it does not go far enough.
“This is imperfect legislation, but a very Canadian approach to addressing a complex issue,” said Dr. Philip Berger, senior adviser to Canadian Physicians for Arms Protection, in a statement. He added: “To make the additional changes still needed, the 80% of Canadians who support arms control need political parties other than liberals to step up and be accountable.”
If passed, the new law will also prohibit changing the component of a firearm cartridge and prohibit depictions of violence in firearms advertising. There would be stricter restrictions on ammunition imports and a ban on the import, export, sale and transfer of all replicas of firearms.
The Conservative Party of Canada denounced the proposed legislation, saying it penalizes legal gun owners and does not adequately address the issue of weapons smuggled from the United States to Canada.
“I think Mr. Trudeau deceives people when he tries to suggest that buying things from hunters and other law-abiding Canadians will somehow solve the problem of shootings and criminal gang activity in big cities. It is ignoring the real problem and is dividing Canadians, “Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole said at a news conference on Tuesday.
In a detailed technical briefing, the government stressed that it would continue to combat smuggling and arms trafficking, intensifying enforcement and increasing penalties. The Trudeau government has also said it will contact the government of US President Joe Biden to find new ways to cooperate on arms smuggling issues across the border.