The killings in C\u00f4te-des-Neiges on June 22 were not only a tragedy. They were also a warning.<\/p>\n
Montreal police Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane is dead. Another officer was injured. A civilian, Michael Moshe Mizrahi, also lost his life. Many witnesses were traumatized. As investigators work to piece together what happened, one fact is already known through early reporting: the shooter was licensed to own guns<\/a>, and the weapon used is a legal firearm.<\/p>\n That should focus attention on a persistent gap in Canada\u2019s gun control laws.<\/p>\n The rifle involved \u2014 an SKS, by all indications \u2014 is a semi-automatic firearm originally designed for military use. Despite federal efforts to prohibit a wide range of assault-style weapons, the SKS remains non-restricted and widely available to licensed gun owners.<\/p>\n Successive governments have acknowledged the risks associated with military-style firearms in civilian circulation, particularly after mass shootings in Nova Scotia, Quebec City, and elsewhere. Those acknowledgements led to policy changes, including the prohibition of roughly 1,500 firearm models<\/a> in 2020, with additional measures in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n Yet the SKS has consistently been left out. That omission persists despite mounting evidence. The rifle has been used in multiple high-profile incidents<\/a> involving civilians and police, including the 2018 Fredericton shooting that killed two police officers and two civilians. A federal expert advisory panel has also concluded that modern SKS variants share key characteristics<\/a> with firearms that are already prohibited.<\/p>\n Illegal trafficking remains a serious concern. But focusing exclusively on smuggling risks overlooking another part of the problem: firearms that are legally obtained within Canada.<\/p>\n This is not an unknown problem. It is a known public safety risk in cities, towns and rural areas across Canada that has gone unaddressed. In fact, the SKS was the most common model seized<\/a> by the Edmonton Police Service over a two-year period.<\/p>\n Public debate on gun violence in Canada often centres on smuggled handguns, and with good reason. Illegal trafficking remains a serious concern. But focusing exclusively on smuggling risks overlooking another part of the problem: firearms that are legally obtained within Canada. <\/p>\n Recent RCMP data<\/a> suggest a significant share of crime guns are domestically sourced. Long guns, including rifles, continue to be used in serious incidents, particularly those involving multiple victims or attacks on police. <\/p>\n Since the federal government\u2019s first promise in 2015<\/a> to remove assault weapons from Canadian streets, timelines have repeatedly slipped. Recent steps \u2014 including the launch of broad consultations<\/a> on the entire gun control regime announced last Dec. 4 (before dealing with the SKS), as well as the fourth extension of the amnesty<\/a>, beyond 2026, for existing prohibited weapons announced on June 9 \u2014 consist of further delays rather than resolution.<\/p>\n