MONTREAL — Following recent deadly shootings in Montreal, a leading gun control advocacy group is renewing its demand for an immediate prohibition on the sales of SKS rifles. The tragic incidents resulted in the deaths of Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane and civilian bystander Michel Mizrahi, prompting heightened scrutiny on the type of firearms used.

While Montreal police have yet to confirm the specific firearm employed in these killings, social media reports and images suggest that an SKS rifle was present at the crime scene. In response, the organization PolySeSouvient has publicly urged the federal Liberal government to take decisive action against SKS model sales, arguing that such a ban would effectively address a critical loophole and convey a strong public safety message.

Since May 2020, the Canadian government has prohibited around 2,500 types of firearms, categorizing them as weapons that belong solely on the battlefield. However, the SKS rifle has not been included in this list, mainly because it is widely utilized within Indigenous communities for food hunting purposes. Nevertheless, the SKS has also been implicated in police fatalities and various other high-profile shooting incidents across Canada in recent years.

The federal government has indicated that it is conducting a comprehensive review of Canada's firearms classification system, which includes planned consultations with Indigenous communities regarding the SKS rifle. In light of the recent violence, PolySeSouvient is calling for an "accelerated schedule" for these consultations and subsequent regulatory measures concerning existing SKS rifles in civilian hands.

According to a statement from PolySeSouvient, "The current pace is indefensible, and there is no official timeline." They further emphasized that these firearms remain accessible in the public domain and are repeatedly associated with acts of violence, indicating a troubling leniency that they feel is unwarranted. Furthermore, the government has introduced a compensation program for individuals who surrender or deactivate their banned firearms, allowing owners of such prohibited weapons to receive public funds through a buyback initiative.

PolySeSouvient criticizes this situation, noting that individuals who declare their prohibited firearms under the buyback program "can take public money and buy a new SKS rifle." The group labels this as "not public safety" but rather "a taxpayer-funded farce that leaves the same deadly threat on the market under a different name."

This report highlights the ongoing debates and calls to action surrounding firearms regulation in Canada, especially in light of recent tragedies involving gun violence. Advocates like PolySeSouvient are increasingly vocal about the perceived inadequacies in the government's response and the urgency to address gaps in safety measures surrounding firearms such as the SKS rifle.