August M
Canada is facing renewed debate over its firearms legislation after a deadly school shooting in British Columbia.
The attack has prompted fresh scrutiny of whether existing federal measures are sufficient to prevent further violence, with policymakers expected to revisit long-running arguments over gun access and public safety.
Canada’s firearms rules are largely set by the federal government in Ottawa, creating nationwide standards that provinces must follow. Compared with many U.S. states, the country maintains tighter controls on ownership and storage, reports the BBC.
Policy in focus
Under the federal Firearms Act, weapons must be stored unloaded and locked. Prospective buyers are required to pass background checks and secure a valid licence before purchasing a gun.
Government statistics from 2021 show that more than 2.2 million Canadians held firearm licences, accounting for 7.7% of the adult population. That year, officials estimated there were about 10 million guns in circulation nationwide.
A national freeze on the sale and transfer of handguns took effect in 2022. Earlier this year, the government began implementing a buy-back programme aimed at reducing the number of certain firearms in private hands.
Mass shootings remain relatively rare in Canada compared with the United States, the BBC reported. However, gun-related killings make up a higher proportion of overall homicides in Canada than in England and Wales or Australia.
Tragedy in BC
The debate intensified after Tuesday’s shooting in Tumbler Ridge, a remote community roughly 415 miles north of Vancouver.
Nine people were killed and 25 injured in the attack, the BBC reported. Authorities said the suspect was later found dead with a self-inflicted injury.
Canada has experienced other high-profile shootings in recent decades. In 2020, a gunman posing as a police officer killed 22 people in Nova Scotia, the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s modern history. That incident led to a ban on most military-style assault weapons.
As the investigation in British Columbia continues, attention is likely to remain fixed on whether further legislative action will follow.
Sources: BBC
