Canada to temporarily ban import of handguns

FILE PHOTO: A display of handguns is seen at Wanstall's Hunting & Shooting after Canada's government introduced legislation to implement a "national freeze" on the sale and purchase of handguns, as part of a gun control package that would also limit magazine capacities and ban some toys that look like guns, in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada May 31, 2022. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada said on Friday it would temporarily ban the import of restricted handguns from Aug. 19 in a move intended to fast-track rules proposed in gun control legislation announced in May.

The import ban would stay in place until a national freeze on handguns comes into force, the Canadian government said in a statement.