The federal government is banning most guns from being imported into Canada through a regulatory mechanism that will take effect in two weeks. Public Safety Minister Marco Medicino told a news conference Friday that he hopes the temporary measure will be up for debate with the passage of Bill C-21, which was tabled by the Liberals in May. The legislation would freeze the import, sale and transfer of guns nationwide. The gun control bill would also create a mechanism that could require people to surrender their firearms to the police if they are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. It would also increase the maximum penalties for firearms smuggling and trafficking. Parliament is in summer recess and the import ban does not require legislative approval. It is based on a power held by Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly to refuse applications for import and export permits. When the Liberals banned about 1,500 models and variants of what they call “assault” firearms in 2020, the action was also taken without legislation – using an order from the cabinet. The country saw a sharp increase in the criminal use of firearms between 2009 and 2019, and the federal government was under pressure to take action. However, Bill C-21 and the import ban have drawn considerable ire from gun rights advocates and the federal Conservatives, who say the measures will not stem the tide of firearms being illegally imported from the US and note that Canada already has strict regulations for legal gun ownership. Speaking alongside Mr. Mendicino on Friday, Ms. Joly called the ban a “stop gap” to prevent “restocking the shelves in the immediate term” as Bill C-21 moves through the parliamentary process. When Bill C-21 was announced, there was a surge in gun buying, Ms. Joly said, adding, “we want to prevent that.” The import ban, which will take effect on August 19, will apply to individuals and businesses with few exceptions. Government trade data show Canada imported $26.4 million worth of handguns and revolvers between January and June – a 52 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante welcomed the import ban. “This is an important step, but events like what happened this week remind us once again that we need to step up and do more, because this could happen anywhere in the country,” Ms Plante told statement, referring to the fatal shootings of three people in Montreal and Laval earlier this week linked to a man. The statement said the mayor has told the federal government for months that a gun ban and tighter border controls are necessary. “We know that Canadian cities share this desire. We need significant gestures from the highest levels of government to help us fight gun violence effectively,” Ms Plante said. The Vancouver area has experienced a spate of recent shootings, and Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said he welcomes the federal measure. “Regulations like this go a long way towards keeping our cities safe,” Mr Stewart said in a statement. Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a statement that the ban is “one more way the Government of Canada is responding to calls for action against gun violence from victims’ families, other advocates and cities like Toronto.” But Mr Tory said the measure and the gun freeze must be part of a comprehensive approach to ending gun violence. Ken Price, one of the founders of Danforth Families for Safe Communities, also called the announcement a welcome development. The grassroots group was formed after a Toronto man fatally shot two people — a teenager and a 10-year-old girl — and injured 13 others using a stolen gun in 2018. “With anecdotal news that gun sales are going up and up, and that people are trying to stockpile these things in the short term, this measure is something we’re happy to see,” he said. Mr Price said he wished the government had taken the step sooner. Rod Giltaca, chief executive and executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, said if the Liberal government really cared about public safety, it would focus on stopping illegal gun imports. “Until now, they have not been able to do that,” Mr. Giltaca said in an e-mail. “This approach works for the Liberals because they can fool Canadians into thinking they are dealing with rising gun violence while attacking a voter demographic that would be unlikely to support them anyway.” Raquel Dancho, a Conservative MP and public safety critic, said the change would not stop the flow of illegal guns, which make up the majority of guns used in gun crimes in Canada. “Conservatives have always supported common sense gun laws and gun safety in our communities,” Ms. Dancho said in a statement. NDP MP and public safety critic Alistair McGregor said the Liberal regulations are a temporary fix that future governments could easily undo. In a statement, he said the Liberal government could have predicted the gun buying frenzy and violence when Bill C-21 was introduced. “Instead, they failed to implement the regulations earlier and allowed avoidable tragedies to happen,” Mr McGregor said. With a report by The Canadian Press Subscribers Only: Get exclusive political news and analysis by subscribing to Political information.