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Premier says no changes to Quebec gun registry despite call for better screening
QUEBEC — The head of the Quebec City mosque where six men were killed in a shooting almost two years ago wants the province to tighten up controls over who has access to firearms.
January 22, 2019 By The Canadian Press
In a letter to Premier Francois Legault, Boufeldja Benabdallah identifies a weakness when it comes to verifying people who have mental health problems.
He says that the gunman Alexandre Bissonnette, who will be sentenced Feb. 8 after pleading guilty to six counts of first-degree murder, had mental issues but provincial police did not check.
Benabdallah says that when Bissonnette applied for his permit, he did not acknowledge on the form that he had experienced periods of depression, and his family did not report it to authorities.
Quebec passed a law creating a long gun registry in 2016 and has given owners until Jan. 29 to register their firearms or face penalties of up to $5,000.
Speaking to reporters today in Paris where he is on an official visit, Legault said he’s not planning any changes to the provincial law.
News from © Canadian Press Enterprises Inc., 2019
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