The Liberal government has outlawed another 324 firearm varieties — guns it says belong on the battlefield, not in the hands of hunters or sport shooters.
The move follows the May 2020 ban of 1,500 makes and models of firearms, a number that grew to more than 2,000 by November of this year as new variants were identified.
The latest prohibition of hundreds more, announced today at a news conference, follows expressions of concern from gun-control advocates that many assault-style firearms were not covered by the 2020 ban.
The federal government says it is working with provinces, territories and police on a planned buyback of prohibited weapons from individual owners.
Ottawa also says it has committed to the Ukrainian government to work with firearms businesses and identify how these guns could be donated to support the fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The newly announced measures come on the eve of the 35th anniversary of a gunman’s murder of 19 women at the École Polytechnique in Montreal.
© 2024 The Canadian Press