The national freezes on handguns take effect on August 19, 2022
In many communities across the nation, gun violence has caused devastating outcomes, and too many Canadians have lost loved ones. According to Statistics Canada, firearms were used in over 40 percent of homicides in Canada in 2019. The number of registered handguns in Canada increased by 71 per cent between 2010 and 2020, reaching approximately 1.1 million.
Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, today announced a temporary import ban on the importation of restricted handguns.
In a restricted number of exceptions to Bill C-21, handguns will no longer be permitted to be imported into Canada by individuals and businesses. During the period from August 19th to August 25th, 2022, these restrictions will take effect until the federal freeze is implemented.
“We know that one Canadian killed by gun violence is one too many. As a government, it is our duty to ensure that Canada remains one of the safest places to live in the world. The import ban announced today will help to keep guns stay off our streets as we work towards implementing Bill C-21, reducing gun violence in the immediate term.
- Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“My top priority as Minister is keeping Canadians safe in their communities. Today’s announcement is further proof that we are using all tools at our disposal to fight gun crime in this country. It is a key pillar of our plan to address it, along with investments in prevention, action at our borders, a ban on assault-style weapons and Bill C-21 – Canada’s most significant action on gun violence in a generation.” Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety
No magic bullet can solve Canada’s gun problems. The federal government must continuously pay attention to the problem of gun smuggling and sales, review outdated regulations, implement a strict crackdown, and increase its supervision of border-to-border storage and sales. Only in this manner can tragedies be avoided in the best interest of the safety of all Canadians.
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