Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that guns should not be used for self-defense. Instead, firearms should only be used for hunting and sport, the prime minister claimed. Trudeau recently called for a “national freeze” on the sale of handguns in the nation, which would build on the nation’s strict regulation of long guns.
Trudeau told the Pod Save America Podcast — which is hosted by former Obama staffers — that Canada has a radically different view on firearms when compared with the United States.
“We have a culture where the difference is: Guns can be used for hunting or for sport shooting in Canada – and there are lots of gun owners, and they’re mostly law-respecting and law-abiding – but you can’t use a gun for self-protection in Canada,” Trudeau said. “That’s not a right that you have in the Constitution or anywhere else.”
While admitting that most gun owners are law-abiding, Justin Trudeau claimed that "you can't use a gun for self-protection in Canada. That's not a right that you have."
Why punish those following the law? https://t.co/fUAV0A4m9b pic.twitter.com/h8r3dAKDDU
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 10, 2022
Trudeau’s proposed handgun freeze, which is currently being debated by Ottawa lawmakers, has been described by CBC as “the most ambitious attempt yet to restrict firearms access in this country.”
Under Trudeau’s proposal, a “national freeze” would be placed on the purchase, sale, importation and transfer of handguns in Canada. The government has also announced plans to buy back thousands of outstanding long guns, the sale of which has already largely been banned.
In addition, the bill would increase penalties for gun smuggling, remove gun licenses from those involved in domestic violence or criminal harassment, and a “red flag” law which would require people deemed a threat to themselves or others to turn in their firearms to law enforcement, CBC reported.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino presented the bill, C-21, in the House of Commons earlier this month. Trudeau called for the legislation in response to the Ross Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas.
Despite the proposed legislation and comments from Trudeau on self-defense, the sale of handguns has exploded across the nation in recent days.