We are introducing legislation,
to implement a national freeze on handgun ownership.
What this means is that it will no longer be possible to buy, sell,
transfer or import handguns anywhere in Canada.
In other words, we're capping the market for handguns.
>> That was Justin Trudeau announcing some of the details, and
there are a number about what they are doing up in
Canada to deal with gun violence going way further lapping us.
More than lapping us here in the US.
In terms of that, I mean, look, there's other details to it that we'll get to.
But, that core detail that they are ending the new sale of handguns.
Caroline, can you even conceive of like what if Beto O'Rourke
said that on a debate stage.
Just like the idea that we would potentially stop the sale of all new
handguns.
Can you imagine that?
>> No, I mean, given what happened to him when he suggested taking away assault
rifles and that sort of tanked whatever election he was running at the time.
I really can't, I mean, we can talk further about this.
I think that Canada is doing, personally, I think it's a wonderful thing.
I really don't know if the, I don't know.
I'm curious what you think what sort of lessons we can learn from this?
I happen to think our cultures regarding guns and so many things are so
different that it is a little hard to extrapolate anything from this decision.
Other than yes, we all always want to move to Canada at any time.
But yeah, let's get into it.
>> Yeah, definitely.
Look, it is at the very least a reminder that there are governments that function,
whether we might agree with the particular thing that they're doing or not.
And we can get into that.
In theory, governments that can identify a problem and
actually do something to solve it.
That's novel, It doesn't really happen in the US, even in the midst of the pandemic,
we had very little action from our government to do something about it.
This is I think more immediate, faster broader, than we've seen for any problem.
I mean, I don't even know how much credit I want to get to the ACA,
like it just doesn't really happen here.
But let's first give people more details on what it is that they're planning to do.
So, Canada had already planned to ban 1500 types of military style firearms and
offer a mandatory buyback program, that will begin by the end of this year.
Trudeau said that in theory, you could keep your assault weapon, but
it will be made inoperable.
It will no longer be a firearm at that point.
They've also expanded background checks.
And Trudeau had this to say about the changes,
we cannot let the gun debate become so polarized that nothing gets done.
We cannot let that happen in our country, this is about freedom.
People should be able to go to the supermarket, their school or their place
of worship without fear, and it's expected that all of this is going to pass.
Because of the nature of their government at this point.
And, look there's a lot that's different about Canada from the US obviously.
it's not that nobody in Canada has a gun, nobody wants to defend their home,
nobody goes hunting or sport, shooting or anything like that.
It doesn't feel, at least as an outsider to Canada that there is the obsession,
like the worship of firearms.
The deliberate attempts by right wing media and politicians for many years.
And by the way aided by the Democrats up until very recently.
Democrats, like we now think of them as being more opposed to guns but
they were super defensive on that up until, the very recent past.
Convincing people that a gun is not just a symbol of liberty and freedom,
it's the only thing that will keep it.
It's the only thing stopping, the US from devolving into tyranny or whatever.
I don't think that they have the impact of political money coming in
from the gun lobby or just ,the gun like the equivalent of the NRA.
Being so influential on the political culture of the right Caroline.
So as you said it's difficult to know exactly what lessons to draw from this
because there is so much different between our two countries.
Despite the fact that we border each other, but they're going very far,
there's a lot of different components to this.
Yeah, I mean it's super interesting to me.
It's kind of big, it's just rude at this point, Trudeau like we we get it,
you guys you have a lot of power and interest in doing this.
What I'm curious though is he says,, we can't let the this
polarized topic,, get us from not enacting gun control.
And I really am just curious if it is as polarized in Canada or
he's sort of just doing this now.
I don't know in response to what has happened in the United States and
I do think that this is a time where we, as people who are in support of
regulations like this have to look at the numbers and have to look at the makeup
of our country and for whatever reason we do have a gun obsessed country.
Handgun sales are higher than they have ever been.
there is only 19% of the country thinks that there should be a ban on handguns.
So whether or not we agree with Canada's recent position,
we have to acknowledge that it will not work in America and
in that regard, I do think that we have to have a more
holistic approach to our conversations about gun control.
and I think that this is where the mental health, this is where arguments
about the soul of our nation really do need to start coming into these
conversations because as I said during the pandemic trust in our institutions,
trust in the police, It all was crackling and there whether we like it or not,
americans really believe that they have to have a gun for whatever reason.
And so to sort of like Trudeau and Canada and say,,
very vehemently that this is what we need to do.
This is the only path.
It's just it's not only unrealistic, but I think that we're missing
a really big conversation about the health and soul of our country and
we need to sort of dig deeper and really try to understand why I mean,, you and
I know a lot of reasons why people have so little trust in our institutions, but
again, I think,, going back into our communities looking within ourselves,
this decision by Canada really, I think is something that,
should should shine a light on America's obsession with guns.
And not in a way to shame, shame gun owners because the numbers,
the numbers don't lie in terms of their support.
And again, I think it's depressing, but
I think it means we need to shift our tactics a bit.
Okay, well, I'm gonna close with this.
This is some of the immediate reaction on the right because we're covering this so
that, about the facts of it, everyone.
but you're gonna hear a lot from the right about what Canada is doing, not the facts.
Just insane hyperbole.
So, for instance, thomas Massey saying the dystopian future Trudeau is manifesting in
Canada is coming to America if U.
S. Citizens don't get involved,
somebody cracked open there.
The source today.
Okay, let's see.
Wendy Rogers says Canada is turning into new Zealand and
they're also trying to do it here, Sound the alarm.
We must never give up our guns.
Yes. Canada is turning into yet
another country that doesn't experience gun violence, like we do.
And Dave Rubin says, Justin Trudeau is a really
really really really really really really really really bad man.
I is that is that a parody?
Is that what he really like?
He's he's really he's doing his best.
It's difficult, like,
it is difficult to make not I'm not gonna say like a logical argument for
your position on the right, because those are those are in rare supply, but
it's hard for him to even pretend with the same passion that like a Wendy Rogers or
thomas Massey does when he's just cosplaying being a devoted right winger in
the first place, he doesn't actually care about this.
Thus the really, really release your really, really bad at this, that