Canada is looking to ban certain types of guns after 22 people died in a Nova Scotia mass shooting, the worst in the country’s history.
Key provisions of the ban have already been discussed and approved by the Canadian Cabinet, which plans to announce the gun ban by the end of the week, sources told the Globe and Mail. The move will come after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to increase gun control policies following the shooting earlier this month.
In Canada, weapons can be banned through an order in council by the Cabinet, which does not require the adoption of any legislation. The mechanics of the plan have not yet emerged, including what enforcement capacity will be used and whether people who already own the guns will be able to keep them.
The AR-15 rifle will be among the guns banned, along with the Ruger Mini-14, which was used during Canada’s 1989 Ecole Polytechnique massacre that ended with 15 people dead. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair made a list of the weapons that he recommends banning, which Trudeau is reviewing.
In addition to the specific types of rifles, Blair lists two categories of weapons as part of the proposed ban. Those include firearms with a gun barrel diameter of more than 20 mm and weapons with a muzzle energy of more than 10,000 joules.
During the last Canadian election, Trudeau’s Liberal Party said it wanted to ban “military-style assault weapons.”
The move comes after an April mass shooting by Gabriel Wortman, 51, who went on a lengthy rampage in Nova Scotia dressed as a police officer. After shooting his girlfriend, Wortman began a 12-hour tear through the area firing at random people and setting fires to buildings before being killed in a shootout with police. Police said Wortman used at least one “assault-style” firearm during the attacks. Police also said he was not licensed to possess firearms and obtained them illegally.
