A freeze on the sale, purchase, or transfer of handguns is in effect as of Friday.

The Government of Canada says handguns are the weapon of choice in most firearm-related crimes and that’s why it wants limitations on the number of handguns in the country to be part of their plan to combat gun violence.

From now on, Canadians can’t buy sell or transfer handguns within Canada and newly acquired handguns cannot be brought into the country.

The federal government has already banned over 1,500 types of assault-style firearms.

Applications submitted before October 21, 2022, to buy, sell, or transfer a handgun within Canada will continue to be processed.