When it comes to keeping Canadians safe from gun violence, we need more than thoughts and prayers. We need concrete action. That’s why, today, we’re introducing new legislation with stronger measures to combat gun violence. Here’s what we’re proposing:

We’ll combat intimate partner and gender-based violence, and self-harm involving firearms, by creating “red flag” and “yellow flag” laws. These would allow concerned relatives and friends to apply to the courts for the immediate removal of an individual’s firearms.

We’ll increase penalties for gun smuggling and trafficking, and make sure officers have the resources they need to keep illegal firearms out of the country. We’ll create new offences for altering the cartridge magazine of firearms and tighten restrictions on importing ammunition.

We’ll back up municipalities that ban handguns through bylaws with serious federal and criminal penalties, including jail time, for people who violate these municipal rules. We’ll also make sure youth have the opportunities and resources they need to avoid criminal activities.

We’ll also move forward with a buy-back program to safely remove assault-style firearms from our communities, and we’ll complete the prohibition of these weapons to make sure they cannot be legally used, transported, bequeathed, transferred, or sold.

Getting these weapons off our streets and out of the hands of criminals means less violence across the country - and that means safer communities. For more on the legislation we’ve introduced and how it’ll keep you and your loved ones safe, click here: https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2021/02/16/new-firearms-measures-combat-crime-and-increase-public-safety