When the federal government decided to close the gun registry, Quebec quickly denounced the move. More than any other province, Quebec supports the registry and sees it as the legacy of the École polytechnique shootings in 1989.
Although the registry has been formally abolished, Quebec has waged a legal battle to keep it alive in that province, at least. Quebec lawyers have twice managed to keep it operating, and the province has pressed Ottawa to hand over registry data related to Quebec.
Then comes last week’s shooting in Montreal, in the midst of premier-elect Pauline Marois’s victory speech. We’re told that the accused, Richard Bain, had an arsenal of weapons. He was carrying two guns at the time of his arrest, had three in his vehicle, and police found more than 20 others at his home near Mont Tremblant. Reports indicate all but one of the weapons were legally registered.
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