Canada Bans Sale, Use of "Military Style" Firearms in Reaction to Nova Scotia Massacre

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is banning a range of assault-style guns, with an order that takes effect immediately.

The cabinet order he described in a Friday-morning announcement doesn’t forbid owning any of 1,500 “military-style” weapons and their variants but it does forbid them to be used and halts the trade in them.

“Today we are closing the market for military grade assault weapons in Canada,” Trudeau said.

The Globe and Mail reports, Trudeau said the order has a two-year amnesty period for current owners, and there will be a compensation program that will require a bill passed in Parliament.

The ban is in reaction to the murder of 22 people last month in Nova Scotia, including Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Heidi Stevenson. The gunman in that attack reportedly used handguns and semi-automatic rifles.