Canada proposes law to ‘freeze’ handgun sales, buy back assault-style weapons

“We recognize that the vast majority of gun owners in this country are responsible and follow all necessary laws,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. “We are, however, facing a level of gun violence in our communities that is unacceptable.”

The proposed legislation came after mass shootings in Texas and across the U.S.-Canada border in Buffalo in recent weeks have revived a long-simmering debate in the United States about whether Congress might act to curb gun violence.

“Unfortunately, the reality is in our country [gun violence] is getting worse and has been getting worse over the past years,” Trudeau said. “We need only look south of the border to know that if we do not take action, firmly and rapidly, it gets worse and worse and more difficult to counter.”

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Many provisions of the proposed legislation were featured in a gun-control bill that was introduced last year but that did not pass before a federal election was called in August. Gun-control advocates criticized its buyback program for banned guns, which was voluntary. The Liberals pledged stricter gun-control measures if reelected.

Such measures enjoy broad public support here, particularly in urban centers. The Liberal Party typically employs guns as a wedge issue during federal election campaigns, painting their Conservative counterparts as supportive of easing gun-control measures to gain an edge.

Gun-control advocates have long called for a national ban on handguns. But some provincial and municipal officials have opposed one.

The “freeze” envisioned by the proposed legislation is not a ban because people who already own them could continue to possess and use them. But they could only transfer them to businesses, and chief firearms officers would be barred from approving the transfer of handguns to individuals.

The bill is likely to pass with the support of the New Democratic Party. The Conservatives on Monday criticized Liberal gun-control efforts, charging that they unfairly target law-abiding gun owners and fail to adequately stamp out the smuggling of illegal weapons across borders.

“Today’s announcement fails to focus on the root cause of gun violence in our cities: illegal guns smuggled into Canada by criminal gangs,” Raquel Dancho, the Conservative public safety critic, said in a tweet. “The PM has had 7 years to fix this serious issue yet he continues to chase headlines and bury his head in the sand.”

The measures unveiled Monday come after the government banned 1,500 makes and…