‘Being Free’
CANADA
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will introduce a new bill that would put a freeze on buying, selling or importing handguns, a move aimed to curb gun violence in Canada following recent mass shootings in the United States, CBS News reported Tuesday.
Trudeau’s proposed legislation will focus on fighting gun smuggling and trafficking, while it also would implement a “red flag” law: This would allow courts to order individuals to surrender their firearms to police if they are considered a danger to themselves or others.
The bill will also require rifle magazines to be permanently altered so they can never hold more than five rounds.
The legislation will go through parliament this fall and is expected to pass.
Canada already restricts access to firearms. Even so, officials plan to tighten access further, with a ban on 1,500 types of military-style firearms.
Officials described the bill as the most significant step Canada has taken in a generation. Trudeau said during a press conference that the issue is “about freedom,” adding that Canadians “should be free to go to the supermarket, their school or their place of worship without fear.”
However, Conservative opposition and Canadian gun groups criticized the freeze as “absurd.” They noted that authorities already have tools to tackle gun violence, such as contacting people listed as references on gun license applications.
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