Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is banning a range of assault-style guns, with an order that takes effect immediately.
He says the order has a two-year amnesty period for current owners, and there will be a compensation program.
The Prime Minister says the government is banning 1,500 models of guns in Canada. There will be a 2 year amnesty for current gun owners to give them time to comply #cdnpoli
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) May 1, 2020
In an announcement Friday morning, he cites numerous mass shootings, from Ecole Polytechnique in 1989 to the killings in Nova Scotia last week, as the reasons for the move.
Stricter controls on firearms were a promise in the Liberals’ election campaign platform last fall.
A new poll from @angusreidorg found that 4 in 5 Canadians supports a complete ban on assault weapons in Canada. https://t.co/dDhXAAuy5R pic.twitter.com/wmA1IRjBne
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) May 1, 2020
Trudeau has said the government was on the verge of bringing in stricter gun-control legislation in March but froze plans when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
More to come.