Adedokun Waliyu 
Twenty years after a gunman opened fire inside a Montreal college, gun control advocates and victims’ families are urging the prime minister to move ahead with his government’s promised gun control measures.
In an open letter sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, opposition public safety critics and other cabinet members, gun control group PolySeSouvient and the family of 18-year-old Dawson College shooting victim Anastasia De Sousa want the PM to finalize outstanding assault weapons bans, and close what they describe as long-standing “loopholes” in existing firearms regulations.
“There has been progress, including the prohibition of many assault-style firearms and the handgun freeze, but key commitments remain unfinished,” read an excerpt from the letter, sent on Wednesday ahead of the Sept. 13 anniversary of the 2006 mass shooting that killed one and injured 19.
“The Beretta CX4 Storm was prohibited in 2020, but it and many other assault-style firearm models remain in civilian hands.”
Indeed, a Beretta CX4 rifle was among the firearms used by 25-year-old gunman Kimveer Singh Gill in the deadly downtown Montreal shooting — along with a .45 Glock handgun and a shotgun.
Gill, who was born in Lachine, reportedly spent months planning the 2006 shooting and, according to media reports, had originally intended to carry out the shooting on April 20, the same day the Columbine High School massacre took place.
Gill committed suicide shortly after being struck in the arm by police gunfire.
“While the sale of new handguns has been frozen, more than one million remain in circulation, with a loophole that could increase this number,” the letter said.
“Most importantly, the legal loopholes that allow access to large-capacity magazines have still not been closed.”
The letter demands the Carney Liberals act now on three priorities — complete the assault-style firearms ban and their removal from circulation, close loopholes allowing large-capacity magazines, and strengthen oversight of handgun exemptions, specifically those extended to Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
“Available data show significant differences among provinces in how these exemptions are granted,” read an excerpt from the letter.
“That inconsistency raises legitimate concerns about weak oversight and the potential for abuse. An exemption intended for a narrow group of high performance athletes must not become a back door around the handgun freeze.”
While Minister Anandasangaree launched broad reviews of Canada’s firearms framework last year, victims’ families say further consultations only serve to prolong public safety risks.
“The upcoming anniversary is an opportunity to honour the victims of Dawson College with action — not further consultations, delays or excuses,” the letter read.
