Five years after the attack on the great mosque of Quebec, “nothing has been done” to prevent access or the maintenance of the firearms that the killer had in his possession, deplore members of the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec (CCIQ) and arms control groups.
A few days before the commemorations of the tragedy of January 29, 2017, they challenge both Quebec and Ottawa in two separate letters obtained by The Canadian Press.
One is for Prime Minister François Legault and Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault. The other was sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino.
The twenty signatories mention that it “is always painful to know” that the killer of the great mosque had used a weapon (of the brand Glock) and five magazines of ten bullets purchased legally to commit his crime, which left six dead and eight wounded. He also legally had at least five other weapons and three assault weapons.
They argue that an “individual with the same profile could today own the same weapons and accessories”.
“It is absolutely harmful and shameful to note that in five years, NOTHING has been done to change the circumstances that allowed this individual to acquire or keep such an arsenal”, denounce the main signatories Boufeldja Benabdallah, door- word of the CCIQ, and Mohamed Khabar, one of the victims of the shooting.
They are supported by 18 other people representing, among others, PolySeSouvient, the Polytechnique Student Association, the Coalition for Gun Control, Together for Thomas and Dawson-related Families.
They claim that handgun sales are at “record levels”. The manufacturer of the Glock brand even reported an increase in its Canadian sales in 2020, mention the authors of the letters, and this, “thanks to the high demand for the same model used to kill and injure our colleagues”.
“In our view, this situation is entirely due to the inaction of the federal government, which holds responsibility for the Criminal Code which classifies weapons as ‘non-restricted’, ‘restricted’ or even ‘prohibited’, the latter being the category in which handguns should end up,” they write.
Ottawa’s Responsibility
The signatories call for handgun control to remain in federal hands.
Last winter, the Trudeau government proposed in its Bill C-21 – dead on the order paper with the call of the election – to give the power to municipalities to ban handguns, which was not well received by the National Assembly.
During the election campaign, the Liberals promised to extend this power to the provinces and territories.
In the letter addressed to Prime Minister Legault, they ask the Quebec government “not to allow the federal government to absolve itself of responsibility in the handgun file”.
In the one sent to Prime Minister Trudeau, they invite Ottawa to take its responsibilities to adopt legislation that will be implemented from coast to coast.
“Even if the Government of Quebec decided to ban handguns on its territory, their proliferation in the rest of Canada would continue: it would, after all, be a ban in only one of the thirteen Canadian jurisdictions. “Write the signatories.
They also lament that assault-style weapons that became illegal in 2020 can still end up in the hands of those who bought them before the ban. A buyout program was promised by the federal Liberals, but it is still pending.