While violent incidents have still shaken the metropolis in the last hours, the mayor of Montreal Valérie Plante is once again asking the federal government to tackle the illegal entry of handguns into the country.
Posted at 11:39 a.m.
“I don’t know how long we’re going to wait or when political courage will be there, but I call on the federal government, because handguns are circulating, and every time the SPVM or the SQ succeed in removing weapons, there are others who enter. And it is not the cities that can find solutions to that, ”launched Mme Plant Wednesday morning, on the occasion of the executive committee of the City.
Tuesday, at the end of the day, shots were fired in the Rivière-des-Prairies sector, notably hitting the facade of a daycare centre. Fortunately, the incident did not cause any injuries.
Every week, such episodes recur in different neighborhoods of Montreal.
“Quebec municipalities are doing their prevention work, but we also have to find solutions at the source. And the source of the problem, among other things, is the trafficking of illegal weapons, hammered the mayor. My message for the federal government is that we must legislate that handguns are illegal, and that we control assault weapons more extensively. »
Mme Plante also asked party leaders campaigning in Quebec for the upcoming elections to support Montreal in its demands of Ottawa. “Throughout Quebec, if there is a consensus in our society, it’s that we don’t want weapons,” she added. We all want to make sure that our communities are safe and for that, we have to take strong action. I look forward to hearing the leaders of the Quebec parties speak out on this issue. »
The shooting at a Texas elementary school on Wednesday underscores once again the importance of tackling the proliferation of weapons, noted the mayor, who expressed her condolences for the families affected by this tragedy.
On Wednesday morning, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) participated in the dismantling of a major network for the production and distribution of amphetamines. Twenty searches were carried out in the regions of Montreal, Laval, Laurentides, Montérégie, Centre-du-Québec and Mauricie.
Mayor Plante pointed out that such seizures deprive criminals of an important source of revenue to finance, among other things, the purchase of firearms.