Canada's NDP

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October 21st, 2022

NDP: Liberals dragged their feet on long overdue handgun freeze

NDP Public Safety Critic Alistair MacGregor made the following statement:

“Canadians have been horrified by rising gun violence in our communities and want to see the government take real measures to ensure their loved ones are safe. No one in Canada should be worried that they be the victim of gun violence when they step outside of their homes.

Today marks the first day Canada’s handgun freeze takes effect. This is a huge step forward for preserving Canadians’ safety, but it should not have taken this long.

People expect their government to act to prevent tragedies, not just respond to them. Instead of acting quickly, the Liberal government dragged their feet on gun safety for seven years – all while tragedies continued to happen across our country. Countless lives have been lost to senseless violence while the government played politics and delayed putting this handgun freeze in place. Every time the Liberals promised to create safer gun measures-- they then delayed actually doing it-- and handgun sales and trades spiked. The official start of the handgun freeze is very welcomed for families who have been harmed by gun violence and for all Canadians worried about the crime in their communities.

New Democrats have been pushing the Liberals to take leadership on gun safety for years. We will be watching and proposing improvements to ensure this policy addresses gun violence and helps protect people. New Democrats will always stand up for the safety and well-being of Canadians.”