The response to new gun laws in Canada has been swift 鈥� in just two days, customers had already bought almost all the handguns at Wanstalls Hunting and Shooting in Maple Ridge.

Owner Craig Jones remarked that if there hasn鈥檛 been a loud reaction from the industry 鈥� shops like his, it鈥檚 because they are busy selling out their stock. The rush on firearms comes after new restrictions that are the most dramatic changes yet in the industry, he said. They will essentially place a cap on the number of handguns in Canada.

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a coming national freeze on importing, buying or selling handguns, as his government presented new gun control legislation, Bill C-21, in the House of Commons.

The will also see the government begin buying back thousands of assault-style weapons. The government banned 1,500 models and variants of these guns in 2020.

鈥淥ne Canadian killed by gun violence is one too many. I鈥檝e seen all too well the tragic cost that gun violence has in our communities across the country,鈥� said Trudeau. 鈥淭oday, we鈥檙e proposing some of the strongest measures in Canadian history to keep guns out of our communities and build a safer future for everyone.鈥�

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The law will also require long gun magazines to be permanently altered so they can hold no more than five rounds, and large-capacity magazine sales or transfers will be banned.

They also allow for gun owners to have gun licenced revoked if they are involved in crimes such as domestic violence, harassment or stalking.

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At the same time, the government pledged to fight gun smuggling and illegal sales through law enforcement and border security measures.

鈥淚t鈥檚 probably going to mean a 25 per cent reduction in our business, it鈥檚 definitely going to hurt,鈥� said Jones of the new measures. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 for no reason.鈥�

He said consumers, retailers and manufacturers of firearms in Canada were not part of the discussion with government, so many in his industry were expecting they would see strict regulation.

鈥淚 would have asked them to allocate their resources toward tightening up border restrictions, some anti-gang initiatives, or maybe even funding an RCMP anti (gun) trafficking section,鈥� said Jones. 鈥淲e have the longest border in the world, with the most armed populace in the world.鈥�

He said the flow of illegal guns from the U.S. has been unchecked, and the new laws target law-abiding gun owners.

Jones joins a chorus in the shooting sports who say background checks, storage regulations, mandatory education and other factors have kept Canada from having the same problems with gun violence as seen in the U.S. Still, government is currying favour with voters who aren鈥檛 educated about firearms.

He doesn鈥檛 see buying back legally sold assault-style weapons as promoting safety, or as a wise investment.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have assault rifles in Canada. Those have been prohibited for decades,鈥� he said, explaining that an assault rifle is typically defined as a weapon that fires fully automatic, has a large-capacity magazine and fires an intermediate cartridge.

He said AR-15s that have been legally sold in Canada are simply semi-automatic rifles that hold five rounds.

鈥淭he AR-15 is no deadlier than any other rifle,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing that fits the definition of assault rifle that鈥檚 been sold in Canada for 40-50 years.鈥�

Jones said the resources for buying back assault rifles could be better spent buying MRIs for hospitals.

鈥淒o something that might actually save some lives, because these measures don鈥檛.鈥�

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