Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tabled new gun legislation that would allow municipalities to ban handguns through bylaws.
He says the bylaws can restrict the possession, storage, and transportation of handguns and the measures will be backed up with serious penalties including jail time for those violating municipal rules.
Gun-control advocates have been pressing for a national ban on handguns, saying that leaving it up to municipalities will create an ineffective patchwork of regulations.
This long-promised bill also proposes a buyback of recently banned firearms considered by the government, “assault-style weapons”.
In addition, the bill includes an increase in criminal penalties for gun smuggling and trafficking and enhances the capacity of police and border officers to keep illegal firearms out of Canada.
New offences for altering the cartridge magazine of a firearm and tighter restrictions on importing ammunition would also be created.
