By: Teresa Mull

GPM reported last week that after a Canadian gunman dressed up as a police officer and went on a killing spree in Nova Scotia that ended the lives of at least 23 people, Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, called for making the nation’s already-severe gun laws even stricter.

Trudeau has followed through on his draconian dream.

The Detroit News reports:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an immediate ban Friday on the sale and use of assault-style weapons in Canada, two weeks after a gunman killed 22 people in Nova Scotia.

“Canadians need more than thoughts and prayers,” Trudeau said.

He cited numerous mass shootings in the country, including the rampage that killed 22 in Nova Scotia April 18 and 19. He announced the ban of over 1,500 models and variants of assault-style firearms, including two guns used by the gunman as well as the AR-15 and other weapons that have been used in a number of mass shootings in the United States

“You do not need an AR-15 to take down a deer,” Trudeau said. “So, effective immediately, it is no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import or use military-grade, assault weapons in this country.”

It doesn’t matter to Trudeau that the strict gun laws already in place didn’t stop the killer. Politico reports:

The Nova Scotia shooter didn’t have a gun license and thus possessed all of his weapons illegally, a fact Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer seized upon in blasting Trudeau’s move.

"Taking firearms away from law-abiding citizens does nothing to stop dangerous criminals who obtain their guns illegally," Scheer said in a statement. “The reality is, the vast majority of gun crimes are committed with illegally obtained firearms. Nothing the Trudeau Liberals announced today addresses this problem."

Teresa Mull is editor of Gunpowder Magazine. Contact her at [email protected].