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What are Canada's gun ownership laws?

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete February 11, 2026 at 03:55 PM
What are Canada's gun ownership laws?
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AI Summary

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Following a deadly school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, renewed attention is being placed on Canada's gun laws. Gun ownership in Canada is federally regulated and requires licensing and background checks. While mass shootings are less frequent than in the US, gun-related homicides are higher than in some other developed nations. In 2021, over 2.2 million Canadians held firearm licenses, with an estimated 10 million firearms in circulation. A national freeze on handgun sales has been in place since 2022, and military-grade assault weapons have been banned following previous mass shootings, including one in Edmonton in 2014 and the 1989 Montreal Polytechnique massacre.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context
Montreal 30% l'École Polytechnique 30% Edmonton 35% Alberta 35% Firearms Act 40% United States 45% Ottawa 50% Tumbler Ridge ×370% British Columbia ×275% Canada ×995%

Keywords

gun laws 100% mass shooting 90% gun ownership 80% canada 70% firearms act 60% handgun laws 50% background checks 50% gun violence 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative
Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source
BBC News - World
Political Lean
Center (0.00)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
Canada

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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gun lawsmass shootinggun ownershipcanadafirearms acthandgun lawsbackground checksgun violence
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