Gun-related and/or hate-related killings or concerns
Draft gun control legislation introduced Feb. 16 by the federal government as Bill C-21 would permit cities to tighten controls on handguns. However, a knowledgeable critic says that to be truly effective, the measure should be an outright federal ban. [node:read-more:link]
Two draft firearms control bills which would provide for expanded background checks on all commercial gun sales were passed today by the U.S. House of Representatives, each with marginal Republican support. It was the first significant development on the politically-divisive issue since the Democrats gained control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. [node:read-more:link]
Friends and family of 14 women killed in the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal have accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of “abandoning” victims of gun violence with his government's proposed firearms control legislation. They want Bill C-21 rewritten because it does not include a mandatory buyback program for “assault-style” weapons the government prohibited l10 months ago. [node:read-more:link]
Ten persons, including a police officer, died in Boulder, Colorado, March 22 in yet another mass shooting. As was the case six days earlier when eight persons were killed in Atlanta, Georgia, the shooter, who was taken into custody, is believed to have acted alone. [node:read-more:link]
The latest annual RCMP report on Canadian firearms ownership, released by Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, shows that Yukon residents ranked highest at 19.2 licences per 100 residents. [node:read-more:link]
A New Brunswick man who killed two police officers and two civilians in Fredericton in August 2018 has been found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder. The 11-member’s jury’s decision was reached after several days of deliberation. Matthew Raymond’s defence counsel has said the admitted shooter would be institutionalized indefinitely and subject to regular assessments. [node:read-more:link]
Taking up Prime Minister Trudeau’s election campaign promise to ban military-style “assault rifles,” a Montreal group is urging Public Safety Minister Bill Blair to make good on it. PolySeSouvient includes students and graduates of Ecole Polytechnique, where 14 women were shot in 1989. An aide to Blair says the minister appreciates the group’s support for Trudeau’s commitment. [node:read-more:link]
As the debate on gun control rages on in Canada and elsewhere, research as a basis for policy development requires solid data on when and where various laws have been put in place. The Rand Corp. think-tank in Washington has recently updated its searchable database of U.S. state-level laws. Having made its debut in 2018, it covers 17 classes of gun laws and many subcategories dating back to 1979. [node:read-more:link]
A Toronto emergency physician has rejected as impracticable the federal government’s proposal to empower municipalities to restrict handguns by working through the provincial governments and territories. Dr. Joel Lexchin said at a public event with Prime Minister Trudeau that it makes no sense for one city to impose a ban if others nearby do not.“The federal government needs to ... show leadership and do a national ban,” he said. [node:read-more:link]
Some “assault-style” rifles could be prohibited, and firearms possession and storage rules stiffened, by a re-elected Liberal government, according to Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction. The former Toronto police chief says the plans will be detailed soon as part of the Liberals’ campaign platform for the Oct. 21 election. [node:read-more:link]
Chief executives of dozens of top-tier U.S. corporations are pressing the Republican-controlled Senate to expand background checks on all firearms sales. They are calling on them to enact bills introduced in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. [node:read-more:link]
The video shows a (large black) man lying on his back in the street, holding his hands in the air. "All he has is a toy truck," the man shouts, worried that the police may harm his autistic (white male) patient who had run away from the group. "I am a behavior therapist at a group home." Inexplicably, the caregiver is shot in the leg by police as he lays on the pavement with his patient sitting at his feet (like a protective puppy). [node:read-more:link]
Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Steven Blaney, announced two additional provisions under the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act. The Possession Only Licence will be converted to a Possession and Acquisition Licence, and an Authorization to Transport will becoming a condition for certain lawful activities. [node:read-more:link]
The number of people killed or injured by guns in Toronto so far in 2015 is already higher than 2014, reversing a recent downward trend. But while gun violence appears to be going up in Ontario’s capital, criminologists say this apparent increase in gun violence doesn’t necessarily mean the city is becoming more dangerous. [node:read-more:link]
Two RCMP officers were shot after a routine investigation into a stolen vehicle that led to the Apex Casino St. Albert, Alberta. One officer was wounded but now out of hospital, the other has died after being shot in the head at close range. The suspect, Shawn Maxwell Rehn, was later found dead inside a private residence. An autopsy will be preformed to determine the cause of death. [node:read-more:link]
