B.C. machete attacks prompt call for federal action [Video]

British Columbia’s attorney general is urging the federal government to regulate machetes, citing multiple random and “devastating” attacks using these types of weapons in the province’s urban centres.

Niki Sharma has published a letter where she asks her federal counterpart to explore a number of possible measures, including classifying machetes as prohibited weapons thereby making possessing and carrying them illegal and enabling them to be seized and destroyed by police.

“These bladed knives are particularly dangerous weapons, capable of inflicting life-altering and life-ending injuries. They serve no legitimate purpose on modern Canadian city streets, yet they are readily and cheaply available without restrictions,” the letter says.

Speaking about the need for such a move at a news conference Sunday, Premier David Eby cited a “horrific” recent attack in downtown Vancouver where one man was killed and another had his hand severed. Police have not released any information about the type of weapon used in the homicide …