Ottawa: From today, individuals and businesses in Canada will not be able to import restricted handguns into the country, with limited exceptions.
This rule will come into effect from today and it was announced earlier this month, aiming to curb the number of handguns in Canada.
In May, the Liberal government announced a ban on the import, purchase, sale and transfer of handguns to control weapon-related violence. These parameters are part of a broader firearms-control package.
Under this package, the gun licenses of persons who have committed domestic violence or engaged in criminal cases, stalking, etc., will be canceled. It has also been proposed to increase the punishment from 10 to 14 years if a person found to be involved in gun smuggling and trafficking.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino tabled the regulatory amendments in the both House of Commons and Senate last spring to ban handguns at once. However, these regulations are unlikely to come into force until this fall.
The changes, which are going to come into effect today, will continue only till there is a permanent ban on it by the Parliament.