Common Sense Leads to Action: Brady Applauds Canada for Issuing a Ban on Assault-Style Weapons

Washington, D.C., May 1, 2020 – Less than two weeks after a gunman murdered 22 people across Nova Scotia, Brady congratulates Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for reacting swiftly and banning more than 1,500 makes and types of assault-style firearms. The action makes it illegal to “buy, sell, transport, import or use military-grade, assault weapons” in Canada, while providing a two-year period for individuals to properly dispose of weapons that fit under the definition of this ban.

Brady President Kris Brown shared:

“This is what leadership looks like. Weapons of war do not belong in places of peace - we applaud Canadian leadership for recognizing and acting on that. After the deadliest rampage in Canadian history, Prime Minister Trudeau has ensured that weapons of war do not proliferate and threaten public safety. This action will immediately stop the use and sale of weapons that Prime Minister Trudeau correctly identified ‘were designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time.’ In the United States, we have seen time and time again that this lethality makes them the weapon of choice for mass shooters.

This action is what happens when moral clarity meets true leadership. Canada now joins numerous other nations that have swiftly reacted to mass shootings and taken decisive action to prevent these tragedies from occurring in their countries again. Brady applauds Prime Minister Trudeau for taking this action and calls upon U.S. leadership to examine similar policies that will limit the spread of assault-style weapons all too frequently used to perpetrate mass-violence across our country.”

About Canada’s Action:

The Prime Minister’s Act bans over 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms, representing nine categories of firearms and two types identified by characteristic. Some of their components are also prohibited.

These firearms and their components can no longer be legally used, sold, or imported, and may only be transferred or transported under limited circumstances. For individuals who own these weapons, there is a two-year transition period that provides them amnesty from criminal liability while they take steps to comply with these new rules. This period will end on April 30, 2022 after which all firearms owners must comply with the ban.

About the Rampage in Nova Scotia:

On April 18 and 19, a gunman murdered 22 people in more than 16 locations throughout Nova Scotia. The attacks started with a domestic dispute with the murderer’s girlfriend, who escaped and hid in nearby woods overnight. The rampage replaced the 1989 mass shooting at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique college, where a gunman murdered 14 women, as the worst in Canada’s history.

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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.


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