Gunning for Guns

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Canada introduced an amended version of a controversial gun control bill Tuesday, after the previous proposal came under fire from opposition lawmakers and gun-rights advocates, CBC reported.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the amended Bill C-21 will include new definitions of prohibited firearms that cover certain “assault-style” rifles.

Three years ago, the ruling Liberal party unveiled a ban on roughly 1,500 makes and models of military-grade and “assault-style” weapons in Canada.

The original draft included bans for rifles or shotguns capable of holding a magazine with more than five rounds, or any firearm with a muzzle wider than 20 millimeters – a move that would render many guns illegal.

Gun owners and hunters said the original bill unfairly targeted them, prompting the government to withdraw the proposed legislation earlier this year.

In Tuesday’s statement, Mendicino noted that the changes came after talks with manufacturers, hunters and Indigenous communities.

The proposed revised definition would include guns that shoot in a “semi-automatic manner” and were “originally designed” to take a magazine with more than five rounds, the minister said. The definition will also not be applied retroactively if Bill C-21 becomes law – meaning that owners would be allowed to keep the guns they currently have.

Mendicino added that the government is also creating an advisory panel to offer impartial counsel on any future gun legislation.

Even so, the amendments received a mixed reception from both sides of the gun-control debate.

Supporters of gun control said the new bill is “watered down” and creates a “loophole” that could leave out too many gun models.

Meanwhile, pro-gun groups complained that the changes still unfairly target law-abiding gun owners.

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