A distinguished gun management advocacy group is repeating its name for a right away finish to new gross sales of SKS rifles following lethal shootings in Montreal.
Police haven’t recognized the kind of firearm used to kill Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane and civilian bystander Michel Mizrahi this week.
However photos circulating on-line point out a protracted gun mendacity on the bottom on the taking pictures scene seems to be an SKS.
In a media assertion right now, the group PolySeSouvient urges the federal Liberals to halt new gross sales of SKS fashions, saying it will shut an apparent hole and ship a transparent sign.
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Since Could 2020, Ottawa has outlawed about 2,500 forms of firearms on the idea they belong solely on the battlefield.
It has not banned the SKS rifle, which is often utilized in Indigenous communities to hunt for meals.
It additionally has been utilized in police killings and different high-profile shootings in recent times.
Ottawa says it’s finishing up a broad assessment of Canada’s firearms classification regime that may embrace consultations with Indigenous communities on the SKS.
PolySeSouvient is asking for a “exact and accelerated schedule” for consultations and regulatory motion on current SKS rifles.
“The present tempo is indefensible, and there’s no official timeline,” the group’s assertion says. “These weapons stay broadly obtainable, repeatedly linked to violence, and handled with a leniency they don’t benefit.”
Ottawa has initiated a compensation program for house owners of banned firearms who flip in or deactivate their weapons.
As issues stand, house owners who declared their prohibited firearms below the buyback program “can take public cash and purchase a brand new SKS rifle,” PolySeSouvient says.
“That isn’t public security. It’s a taxpayer-funded farce that leaves the identical lethal risk available on the market below a special identify.”
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