Ottawa withdraws controversial amendments to gun law
 

The federal government is withdrawing controversial amendments to its gun legislation that would have banned thousands of assault-style firearms but were widely criticized for also targeting rifles and shotguns popular with hunters.
 

Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed announced the move at the House of Commons public safety committee this morning, taking MPs on the committee by surprise. However, in a separate statement, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino signalled that his government would try to revive the prohibitions on assault-style rifles in subsequent legislation.
 

The Liberals have spent months defending the amendments and accused the Official Opposition Conservatives of spreading misinformation about the law and prompting the backlash. The committee of MPs gave unanimous consent to revoke the amendments.