World News: Canada introduces law to freeze handgun sales, ban look-alike toys – Gulf Digital News

World News: Canada introduces law to freeze handgun sales, ban look-alike toys – Gulf Digital News

OTTAWA: Canada's government introduced legislation Monday to implement a "national freeze" on the sale and purchase of handguns as part of a gun control package that would also limit magazine capacities and ban some toys that look like guns.

The new legislation, which resurrects some measures that were shelved last year amid a national election, comes just a week after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in their classroom in Uvalde, Texas.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters the new measures were needed as gun violence was increasing.

"We need only look south of the border to know that if we do not take action firmly and rapidly it gets worse and worse and gets more difficult to counter," he said.

The handgun freeze would contain exceptions, including for elite sport shooters, Olympic athletes and security guards. Canadians who already own handguns would be allowed to keep them.

Authorities do not expect a run on handguns in anticipation of the freeze, in part because they are so heavily regulated already, an official said in a briefing.

Canada has stronger gun legislation than the United States but while its gun homicide rate is less than one-fifth the US rate it is higher than that of