Canada’s strict gun laws include a ban on assault firearms and a freeze on handgun sales
The Canadian government has taken multiple steps to reduce gun violence in recent years, including banning thousands of assault weapons and freezing the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns.
Canada’s strict gun laws include a ban on assault-style firearms and a national moratorium on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns.
The Canadian government has banned more than 2,500 makes and models of assault firearms in recent years.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Immediate ban Of more than 1,500 models on May 1, 2020, two weeks after A gunman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia. The ban included two weapons used by that gunman, in addition to an AR-15 and other weapons used in a number of mass shootings in the United States. “Canadians need more than just thoughts and prayers,” he said at the time.
More than 12,000 weapons were collected and destroyed as part of a corporate compensation program that ran between November 2024 and April 2025. A similar program for individuals opened last month to compensate gun owners who voluntarily surrender banned weapons by March 31.
Those who do not participate must dispose of or permanently deactivate their prohibited weapons before the amnesty period expires on October 30.
the National freeze The Purchase and Sale of Handguns Act came into effect in October 2022. This does not apply to those who are already permitted to carry handguns and participants in shooting sports covered by the International Olympic Committee or International Paralympic Committee.
Such changes are part of what government officials describe as a comprehensive approach to combating gun violence. Other recent efforts include implementing lifetime background checks and investing in law enforcement and border operations.
The government has also helped fund community projects that raise awareness of “red flag” laws that allow anyone to apply to the courts to temporarily bar access to firearms to those who pose a danger to themselves or others.
