Canada withdraws proposed measures banning certain rifles, shotguns

4/2/2023 6:14

        Canada has withdrawn proposed amendments to gun legislation that would have banned certain types of rifles and shotguns, the government said on Friday,
        after opponents alleged the prohibitions unfairly targeted farmers and hunters.
        
        The amendments were added to a gun control package that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government introduced last year after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in their elementary school.
        
        The package includes a ban on the sale of handguns and prohibitions on the sale of large-capacity magazines.
        
        "(The) government's intent is to focus on AR-15s and other assault-style weapons - not guns commonly used for hunting," Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said in a statement. "(It's) about certain guns that are too dangerous in other contexts."
        
        Mendicino said he was working with colleagues in parliament to find a solution "that will keep assault-style weapons off our streets."
        
        Trudeau enacted the handgun freeze in October under executive order, and in November, his government amended the package to ban certain rifles and shotguns that hold more than five rounds, among other changes.