Following a horrific mass shooting at a Texas primary school, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signaled that the Canadian government will take new measures to control weapons “in the coming weeks”.
In previous parliaments, Liberals have made changes to Canadian gun laws, including tightening background checks and banning more than 1,500 models and variants of attack-style firearms. And while some elements of their plans have yet to be implemented – including their proposed mandatory arms repurchase program – in the 2021 federal election, Trudeau has vowed to go further.
As part of his mandate and stemming from liberal campaign promises, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino is tasked with moving forward on a series of arms control measures, including the recent announcement of regulations on firearms license checks and conduct. business documentation.
As for what is unfulfilled and may soon come from the federal government, the Liberals have promised:
- Follow the requirements for holders of prohibited firearms to sell them back to the government to be destroyed or “unused”;
- Move to prohibit the sale or transfer of high-capacity magazines that may contain more than the legal number of bullets;
- Require long pistol cartridges to be constantly changed, “so that they can never contain more than five rounds”;
- Provide funding to provinces and territories that are advancing with gun bans in their municipalities;
- Increasing the maximum penalties for trafficking and smuggling of firearms; and
- A table of “red flag laws” that would allow firearms to be removed immediately if the owner is considered a threat to himself or others.
Speaking about the shooting in the United States, the Secretary of Public Safety said it was a reminder that “we still have a lot of work to do” in Canada.
“It’s not just about writing responsible and sound laws. It’s not just about investing more in law enforcement … It’s about stopping crime in the first place, isn’t it?” Mendicino said on May 25.
Justice Minister David Lametti also has some overlapping responsibilities when it comes to introducing red flag legislation.
In an interview with CTV News Channel’s Power Play on May 25, he promised “concrete measures” in the work in which he and other ministers were involved. However, he declined to give details of what exactly the government plans to do in the short term.
“But I can say that there are options for working with municipalities in terms of restrictions under the Firearms Act, which we can work with municipalities to implement. “Obviously there are provisions in the Penal Code,” Lameti said. I will not promise any of this, I will just say that these are the types of discussions that have taken place. “
With only a few weeks left until the spring session of the House of Commons, before lawmakers take a summer break from discussing and passing legislation, as well as other priority bills already going through parliament if a new arms control bill is introduced, as Trudeau said “the coming weeks” are unlikely to pass before autumn.
Between the time when opposition parties would like to examine any proposed new legislation and the time it may take to implement any provisions stemming from potential new laws, it may take some time before further updates come into force of Canadian firearms laws.
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