Canada’s national freeze on handguns comes into effect today. This means that the sale, purchase, and transfer of handguns is now banned across Canada.

Our communities should be safe places to live, raise children, and spend time with friends and family. Canadians across the country are calling for swift and strong action on gun control – and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.

In May, we introduced the toughest gun control measures in a generation. While many continue to be debated by Parliament, we are implementing the handgun freeze through regulations – because action on gun violence can’t wait.

No single measure can tackle gun violence on its own. That’s why our government has a comprehensive plan to protect Canadians and keep firearms out of our communities. And a little over two years ago, we banned 1,500 types of assault-style weapons like the AR-15.

On top of this, we’re also:

• Taking action at Canada’s borders, with investments in the CBSA and RCMP to fight smuggling and stop guns from coming into Canada;
• Launching a buyback program to get assault-style weapons off of our streets, once and for all; and,
• Stopping gun violence before it starts by investing in programs and prevention to help young people succeed and build stronger communities.

One Canadian killed by gun violence is one too many.