Handgun sales surge in Canada ahead of plan for tighter control | Daily News

Handgun sales surge in Canada ahead of plan for tighter control

A man inspects a hand gun at a shop in the Canada’s  Ontario Province.
A man inspects a hand gun at a shop in the Canada’s Ontario Province.

CANADA: Canadian gun sellers are running out of weapons after a surge in demand in the run-up to a proposed ban by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Prime Minister announced plans for a freeze on handgun sales after a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas in which 21 people, including 19 children, were killed.

The bill, which still needs to pass through parliament, would outlaw buying, selling, transferring and importing short-barrelled firearms. Gun stores across Canada reported a rise in demand after the announcement. Some ran out of stock within days.

In parts of the country, customers were lining up in the street, desperate to get a firearm before the ban.

“Almost all stores are sold out, including me,” said Josko Kovic, owner of DoubleTap sports in Toronto.

Trudeau’s announcement had prompted a rise in panic buying. Jen Lavigne, co-owner of That Hunting Store in the capital Ottawa, said it had sold 100 handguns in three days.

It is estimated that there are one million handguns in Canada, which has a population of 38 million. Laws are stricter than in the US, with owners required to have a firearms licence. Purchasers are also subject to background checks, which take at least 28 days.

- YAHOO NEWS


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