Canada PM Justin Trudeau announces bill to restrict buying & selling of handguns

Amid a spate of shootings in the neighbouring US, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a proposed freeze on handgun ownership that would effectively ban their importation and sale.

The bill must still be passed by Parliament, with the ruling Liberals holding only a minority of seats.

Joined by dozens of families and friends of victims of gun violence, Trudeau told a news conference that it will no longer be possible to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in Canada.

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After Canada's worst mass shooting left 23 dead in rural Nova Scotia in April 2020, the government banned 1,500 types of military-grade or assault-style firearms.

The government statistical agency reported last week that firearms-related violent crimes account for less than three percent of all violent crimes in Canada.