Using mass shooting events in the US as an excuse, PM Justin Trudeau has been tinkering with the idea of banning or “freezing” firearms in Canada since this summer and now it appears that he is ready to take unilateral measures.
Trudeau is placing a nationwide freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns, effective immediately and sidestepping legislators and political opponents in parliament.
The measure is considered an “administrative action,” much like executive orders used by presidents in the US as a means to circumvent the constitution and checks and balances in government. Such direct restrictions are often subject to extensive legal obstacles and, at least in the US, can be ignored by states and the public at large (as we witnessed with the covod mandates over the past two years).
