Canada bans new handgun sales in latest gun control action

FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a climate change conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo

(Reuters) -Regulations prohibiting the sale, purchase or transfer of handguns within Canada took effect on Friday, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the measure builds on earlier efforts banning handgun imports.

The handgun freeze was announced in May alongside proposed legislation that would implement the nation's strongest gun control measures in 40 years as part of Trudeau's plan to tackle gun violence, his office said.