OTTAWA: Aman Sandhu checked store after store for a handgun in Canada’s British Columbia, hoping to make a purchase before a freeze on sales takes effect, but struggled to find one in stock.
“I’m concerned that if I don’t buy one now, I may never have the choice again,” Sandhu, a member of the Dawson Creek Sportsman’s Club, told AFP.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s proposed freeze on pistol sales – which he announced in the wake of a series of high-profile mass shootings in the United States – has pushed some Canadians to rush out to gun stores while they still can.
While Sandhu is keen to buy a pistol, he is also wary of becoming mired in new rules that include hefty penalties for even minor lapses.
“Jeez, if I slip up, I could screw up the rest of my firearms ownership,” he said, describing a handful of long guns in his collection.
Several gun stores in British Columbia province saw lines out the door within hours of the liberal leader’s declaration on Monday (May 30). Other shops across Canada said that they sold out within days.
“Sales have been brisk,” said Jen Lavigne, co-owner of That Hunting Store in a strip mall on the outskirts of the capital Ottawa, nestled between a barbershop, a Chinese buffet restaurant and a conservative lawmaker’s constituency office.
“We sold 100 handguns, or almost our entire stock, in the last three days, since the prime minister announced the freeze,” she said, showing off her nearly empty handgun cabinet.
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