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Canada Bans Assault-Style Weapons


Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, May 1, 2020.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, May 1, 2020.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday a ban on assault-style weapons following the slaying of 22 people in the worst mass shooting in the country’s history.

In his announcement broadcast on Canadian television, Trudeau said the ban applied to 11 categories of assault rifles and other weapons, saying they “were designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. There is no use and no place for such weapons in Canada.”

He said the ban would take effect immediately.

The action followed last month's shooting rampage in Nova Scotia. While government officials said the move had been planned for some time and was not a direct response to that incident, Trudeau mentioned the victims, who included a police officer, in his remarks.

“Their families deserve more than thoughts and prayers,” he said, “Canadians deserve more than thoughts and prayers."

Officials said the ban would apply to about 125,000 weapons.

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