Canada prohibits sale, purchase, transfer of handguns

Regulations prohibiting the sale, purchase or transfer of handguns came into effect on Friday in Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the measure builds on earlier efforts banning handgun imports.

The Canadian Prime Minister was speaking at a press conference in Surrey in British Columbia, which was attended by family members of gun violence victims and other advocates.

According to the Prime Minister's office, the handgun freeze was announced in May alongside proposed legislation that would implement the nation's strongest gun control measures in 40 years as part of Prime Minister Trudeau's plan to tackle gun violence.

The action stops people from buying, selling or transferring handguns within Canada, and prevents them from bringing newly



acquired handguns into the country. The office said, under the executive action, any handgun applications submitted before Friday will still be processed.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino called it the most significant action on gun violence in Canada in a generation.

However, the freeze was criticized by the government of the western province of Alberta, which has previously said it will resist other gun control measures proposed by Ottawa. Alberta's Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro in a statement said, the move unfairly penalized law-abiding firearms owners.

Canada has stricter gun laws than the United States, but Canadians can own firearms with a license. Some firearms must also be registered.