Note: I do not oppose all gun laws or gun licensing. I am in favor of the basic licensing scheme (with some modifications). I am not in favor of banning handguns (which have grandfathered by bill c-21 and the previous freeze in 2022) nor am I in favor of banning any firearm by model or action. As they are doing.

Actually, the law was surprisingly effective

About 30% of crime handguns used to come from Canadian stores. Some citizens with a valid possession and acquisition licence used to buy guns and sell them illegally :

https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/man-facing-15-counts-of-firearms-trafficking-one-of-8-recently-charged-in-straw-buying-cases/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/guns-domestic-danforth-shooting-toronto-1.4759159

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alert-guns-investigations-weapons-drugs-straw-buyers-1.5145282

Now this source of handguns has practically disapeared.

They now exclusively come from the United States.

[–] ArmchairAce1944@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

None of those say anything about handguns and how many were handguns. Many rifles (arbitrarily) were restricted, too.

Edit: also police have their handguns lost or stolen a lot more often than you think.

Either way it does not justify this law.

Edit2: I looked for your claim that domestic sources disappeared and haven't found anything supporting your claim.

[–] ArmchairAce1944@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago

Also if you want quote those people here is another one like them from a few years ago.

https://crimecanada.ca/rcmp-report-most-crime-guns-domestically-sourced-in-canada/

This article is flawed as fuck, but apparently handguns still make up 9+% of domestic crime handguns despite sales having been halted fully since November 2022. Before the most I could find was roughly 15%. Which was in the same ballpark it has been for decades. Straw purchases for Canadian handguns have been impossible for a long time and with people unable to buy new ones unless those straw purchases were the only ones buying your assumption is impossible.

And again, that specific article I mentioned is bullshit. It purposely excluded Ontario and Québec.