Canada’s stringent gun regulations, which include a ban on handgun sales, were unable to prevent the tragic shooting that occurred at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday.
The suspected shooter, who was in the process of transitioning to a female identity, reportedly used a handgun despite this handgun sales freeze.
As reported by police, the suspect employed both a handgun and a long rifle during the incident. The specific type of long gun hasn’t been disclosed yet, but the Associated Press pointed out that the Canadian government has prohibited over 2,500 models of assault-style firearms in the past few years.
This prohibition includes more than 1,500 firearm models that were outlawed by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 1, 2020. However, none of these restrictions stopped the shooter from having access to long guns.
While Canada mandates that individuals have a firearms license, the alleged shooter did not possess a valid one. Authorities noted that the individual had a license that had expired in 2024.
Canada also has red flag laws in place, yet the accused had been on police radars and was found in possession of two guns on the day of the shooting.
Interestingly, police had visited the suspect’s family home numerous times over recent years due to mental health issues concerning the suspect.
Two years ago, firearms were seized from the suspect’s residence. Although under criminal law there were efforts to restrain those firearms, the rightful owners successfully petitioned for their return and received the guns back.
