Canada’s nationwide handgun freeze went into effect last week. Under this repressive rule from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party, nearly all handgun sales and transfers are banned (except to certain “exempted individuals”). Likewise handgun imports are banned. Essentially it is an authoritarian attack on freedom approved by Trudeau’s ruling Liberal Party. This freeze on handgun sales and transfer was initially announced in May 2022, and went into effect last week.

On Friday, October 21, 2022, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a public speech:

“Today, our national freeze on handguns is coming into force. From today forward, it is no longer legal to buy, sell, or transfer a handgun in Canada.”

In a social media post Trudeau added: “People can no longer buy, sell, or transfer handguns within Canada — and they cannot bring newly-acquired handguns into the country.”

This handgun freeze comes after Trudeau imposed radical restrictions on long rifle sales. Trudeau bragged about his previous authoritarian actions restricting long guns: “We’ve already banned more that 1,500 types of assault-style firearms. And we’ll continue to do whatever it takes to keep guns out of our communities.”

Canadian Firearms Rights Groups Oppose Handgun Freeze

Groups which support gun rights in Canada oppose Trudeau’s handgun freeze. Opponents of the freeze argue that it won’t achieve its stated goals, even while the policy violates the rights of law-abiding Canadian citizens. And by making it impossible to sell legally-acquired handguns, the freeze effectively ruins the commercial value of those guns, essentially stealing money from handgun owners.

As quoted by the CBC.ca website, Tracey Wilson of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR) said the firearms freeze was approved as a “distraction to a scandal-ridden government” and it will not really reduce crime. Wilson added: “The CCFR condemns the actions of the Liberal government today. This perfectly timed move by Trudeau, to implement the handgun ‘freeze’ on 650,000 licensed, RCMP-vetted gun owners, serves no purpose other than to energize [the Liberal] base.” SEE CBC.ca article.

The CCFR argues that the freeze is not needed because there are already significant handgun rules and regulations in effect. Under current Canadian laws, handguns are classified as “restricted” firearms, which can only be used at RCMP-approved shooting ranges. Only licensed owners who have passed a course that covers the safe handling, transportation and storage of restricted firearms can legally possess a handgun.

Given the existing restrictions on handgun use in Canada, there is no need for a freeze on all handgun sales and transfers. That freeze is nothing but an authoritarian move by a power-hungry prime minister supported by compliant Liberal Party members in Parliament.