The response to new gun laws in Canada has been swift 乌鸦传媒� in just two days, customers had already bought almost all the handguns at Wanstalls Hunting and Shooting in Maple Ridge.
Owner Craig Jones remarked that if there hasn乌鸦传媒檛 been a loud reaction from the industry 乌鸦传媒� shops like his, it乌鸦传媒檚 because they are busy selling out their stock. The rush on firearms comes after new restrictions that are the most dramatic changes yet in the industry, he said. They will essentially place a cap on the number of handguns in Canada.
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a coming national freeze on importing, buying or selling handguns, as his government presented new gun control legislation, Bill C-21, in the House of Commons.
The will also see the government begin buying back thousands of assault-style weapons. The government banned 1,500 models and variants of these guns in 2020.
乌鸦传媒淥ne Canadian killed by gun violence is one too many. I乌鸦传媒檝e seen all too well the tragic cost that gun violence has in our communities across the country,乌鸦传媒� said Trudeau. 乌鸦传媒淭oday, we乌鸦传媒檙e proposing some of the strongest measures in Canadian history to keep guns out of our communities and build a safer future for everyone.乌鸦传媒�
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The law will also require long gun magazines to be permanently altered so they can hold no more than five rounds, and large-capacity magazine sales or transfers will be banned.
They also allow for gun owners to have gun licenced revoked if they are involved in crimes such as domestic violence, harassment or stalking.
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At the same time, the government pledged to fight gun smuggling and illegal sales through law enforcement and border security measures.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 probably going to mean a 25 per cent reduction in our business, it乌鸦传媒檚 definitely going to hurt,乌鸦传媒� said Jones of the new measures. 乌鸦传媒淎nd it乌鸦传媒檚 for no reason.乌鸦传媒�
He said consumers, retailers and manufacturers of firearms in Canada were not part of the discussion with government, so many in his industry were expecting they would see strict regulation.
乌鸦传媒淚 would have asked them to allocate their resources toward tightening up border restrictions, some anti-gang initiatives, or maybe even funding an RCMP anti (gun) trafficking section,乌鸦传媒� said Jones. 乌鸦传媒淲e have the longest border in the world, with the most armed populace in the world.乌鸦传媒�
He said the flow of illegal guns from the U.S. has been unchecked, and the new laws target law-abiding gun owners.
Jones joins a chorus in the shooting sports who say background checks, storage regulations, mandatory education and other factors have kept Canada from having the same problems with gun violence as seen in the U.S. Still, government is currying favour with voters who aren乌鸦传媒檛 educated about firearms.
He doesn乌鸦传媒檛 see buying back legally sold assault-style weapons as promoting safety, or as a wise investment.
乌鸦传媒淲e don乌鸦传媒檛 have assault rifles in Canada. Those have been prohibited for decades,乌鸦传媒� he said, explaining that an assault rifle is typically defined as a weapon that fires fully automatic, has a large-capacity magazine and fires an intermediate cartridge.
He said AR-15s that have been legally sold in Canada are simply semi-automatic rifles that hold five rounds.
乌鸦传媒淭he AR-15 is no deadlier than any other rifle,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 nothing that fits the definition of assault rifle that乌鸦传媒檚 been sold in Canada for 40-50 years.乌鸦传媒�
Jones said the resources for buying back assault rifles could be better spent buying MRIs for hospitals.
乌鸦传媒淒o something that might actually save some lives, because these measures don乌鸦传媒檛.乌鸦传媒�
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