Gun-related and/or hate-related killings or concerns
Two Edmonton Police Service officers were killed today when responding to a domestic violence call. A male suspect is reported to have committed suicide and a related female is listed in stable condition but with life-threatening injuries. [node:read-more:link]
A New Brunswick Court of Appeal tribunal said today that it was “duty bound” to shorten the parole eligibility of Justin Bourque, who killed three RCMP officers in 2014. Citing a 2022 Supreme Court of Canada ruling which struck down a 2011 law as unconstitutional, it cut his eligibility period to 25 years from the 75 imposed by the trial judge. [node:read-more:link]
Civilians deemed “loyal to the state” are being permitted by Myanmar’s ruling junta to apply for licences to carry weapons. The move comes two years after a military coup plunged the country into what’s effectively a civil war with ongoing public protests and harsh government responses. [node:read-more:link]
Citing “legitimate concerns” about the need for more consultations, the federal government today withdrew a much-criticized amendment to draft firearms controls in Bill C-21. Introduced late last year, the technically-detailed amendment would have effictively outlawed some long guns routinely used for sports shooting. [node:read-more:link]
Heavily-redacted reports released by the federal government in response to an Access to Information request show a disturbing trend of “violent rhetoric and intimidation tactics” in on-line threats to federal politicians. Targets included government opposition Members of Parliament and a far-right social network said some should be executed for treason. [node:read-more:link]
The federal government is considering legislative changes to deal with repeat violent offenders but Justice Minister David Lametti said February 2 that there are no easy solutions. He hopes to meet with his provincial and territorial counterparts after all premiers asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make bail less accessible in cases involving possession of loaded, prohibited or restricted firearms [node:read-more:link]
A gunman killed at least seven people and wounded 10 others today in an attack on a synagogue on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a day after a deadly Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank. Police, who described the dead shooter as a Palestinian, called it a “terrorist incident” but a Hamas spokesman said it was “a natural response to the occupation criminal actions.” [node:read-more:link]
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled today that mandatory minimum sentences for convicted criminals who use firearms are constitutionally valid. In handing out its decision, the court was ruling on separate appeals (Docket Nos. 38438 and 39338) by two Alberta men sentenced for armed robbery. [node:read-more:link]
The deaths of eight persons in a California mass-killing January 23 was the state’s third in eight days. Six persons died January 16 in a suspected gang-link shooting at a home and then on January 20, 11 died on a shooting at a dance club. The deaths boosted the U.S. total for the year so far to 39, eliciting what has become a predictable call for tighter firearms controls. [node:read-more:link]
Unnamed German government sources say their government, subject to parliamentary debate January 25, is prepared to send Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine. The expected ratification would effectively free Canada and other NATO allies to ship their Leopards as well to bolster the country’s defences. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Supreme Court today denied a request by a coalition of New York firearms dealers to shut down tighter controls on retail sales. The state’s Democrat-led legislature passed some of the laws last June; other were adopted in July after the Supreme Court struck down the state’s limits on carrying concealed handguns outside the home. [node:read-more:link]
A failed Republican candidate said to be angry over his defeat in the last New Mexican state election, claiming it was “rigged”, was arrested January 16 in connection with a series of drive-by shootings targeting the homes of Democrat legislators and county officials. [node:read-more:link]
Two police operations in eastern Ontario across the St. Lawrence River from New York state have resulted in the arrests of six persons on firearms charges. In one case, the investigation leading to four arrests involved provincial, local and indigenous police services as well as the Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. [node:read-more:link]
The Alberta government has been granted intervenor status in six lawsuits filed in Federal Court against Ottawa’s ban on a range of “assault” weapons. Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro says the federal move “criminalizes hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Canadians . . . simply because the ‘style’ of the firearm was deemed to be aesthetically displeasing by bureaucrats.” [node:read-more:link]
Illinois has banned the sale of many common semi-automatic weapons. Rifles that hold more than 10 bullets and pistols that hold more than 15 are banned, as are rapid-fire attachments and .50-caliber guns. People who already own such weapons will be able to keep them but must register them with police. Eight other states and the District of Columbia have already enacted similar bans. [node:read-more:link]
