Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a ban on a number of assault-style weapons, specifically those that have been used in past mass shootings.
Effective immediately, as of May 1st, 2020, it is no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import or use any of the banned military-grade assault weapons in Canada.
To protect law-abiding gun owners, there will be a 2-year amnesty period and the government will legislate ‘fair compensation’.
Under current law, adding firearms to the list of banned weapons in Canada can be done through an order-in-council and does not require new legislation, which is why the ban was passed so quickly.
This decision follows the worst mass shooting in Canada, that recently took the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia earlier this month.
When speaking about the victims of the Nova Scotia shooting rampage, the Prime Minister said, “They were someone’s child. Someone’s best friend. Someone’s partner. Their families deserve more than thoughts and prayers.”
“Canadians deserve more than thoughts and prayers.”
The ban includes 1,500 styles of weapons that have been used in past Canadian shootings, including:
- the Ruger Mini-14 which was used in the Ecole Polytechnique massacre in Montreal in 1989;
- the M14 semi-automatic which was used in the 2014 Moncton shooting;
- the Beretta CX4 Storm which was used in the Dawson College shooting; and
- the CSA-VZ-58 which the gunman attempted to use in the Quebec Mosque shooting.
Additionally, the firearms used in the Las Vegas, Orlando and Sandy Hook mass shootings will be on the list of guns that will be banned in Canada.
“As of today, the market for assault weapons in Canada is closed,” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said.
“Enough is enough — banning these firearms will save Canadian lives.”
