Dear Neighbour,
Yesterday, our federal government took an important step forward on gun control. Over the years I have worked alongside so many people in our community who have been strong advocates for eliminating gun violence. Many of us remember the night of the shooting on the Danforth in 2018, and there have been too many other days when our community has been impacted by gun violence. Making sure that the new gun control measures are passed through Parliament will be one of my priorities as it is a critical part of keeping our community safe.
The new legislation builds on past measures we have put in place, including a ban on military style assault weapons, lifetime background checks for firearms licences, stricter gun transportation rules and verification requirements.
Here are some of the highlights of the new gun control measures being proposed in Bill C-21:
- Implementing a national freeze on handguns. Handguns cannot be imported, bought, sold or transferred in Canada;
- Limiting long-gun magazines to five rounds. All long-gun magazines must be permanently altered so they can never hold more than 5 rounds and we are banning the sale and transfer of large-capacity magazines.
- Taking away the firearms licences of those involved in acts of domestic violence or criminal harassment, such as stalking;
- Fighting gun smuggling and trafficking by increasing criminal penalties and providing more tools for law enforcement to investigate firearms crimes, and strengthening border security measures; and
- Addressing intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, and self-harm involving firearms through a new “red flag” law that will enable courts to require that individuals considered a danger to themselves or others need to surrender their firearms.
Two years ago, we banned over 1500 types of military assault style weapons. We will be proceeding with a mandatory buyback program that will come into effect before the end of this year. Any banned weapon that is not sold back will need to be permanently rendered inoperable so that they can never be used.
Yesterday was an emotional day as I stood alongside survivors of gun violence and their families. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share personal stories and to stand up for action to fight gun violence. And a special shout out to Joan Howard and Danforth Families for Safe Communities. Local advocacy matters.
Yours truly,
Julie
