Montreal Shooting Kills 2 in Côte-des-Neiges

Q: With a federal gun ban in place, how did the shooter get an 'assault-style' rifle for the Montreal attack?

It is not yet publicly known how the Montreal shooter obtained the rifle, and police have not released evidence showing its source or whether it was legally owned, stolen, smuggled, or otherwise acquired. What is clear is that Canada’s federal ban does not make such firearms disappear overnight. Since May 2020, Ottawa has prohibited more than 2,500 models of “assault-style” firearms, but an amnesty and compensation process has allowed previously lawful owners time to surrender or deactivate them. That means some banned rifles have remained in private hands pending compliance, even though they cannot legally be used or transferred. Authorities and researchers also say many crime guns in Canada come from outside the legal market. Police data and public reporting show a large share of traced crime guns, especially handguns, are smuggled from the United States, and officials have also warned about illicit domestic trafficking, stolen firearms, and unlawfully manufactured guns, including 3D-printed components. In 2024, 80% of accused in firearm-related homicides where the accused was known did not hold a valid licence for the firearm involved. So the likely explanations are familiar ones: the weapon may have been illegally smuggled, obtained through criminal networks, stolen, unlawfully retained despite the ban, or assembled through illicit means. But until investigators disclose tracing results, any claim about this specific rifle’s origin would be speculation.

3 articles · Updated · Haaretz · Jun 22

Two people were killed in a shooting in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, police and local reports said.
Côte-des-Neiges is an area with a large Jewish population, a detail highlighted in initial reporting on the attack.
Authorities had not provided further details in the report on the victims, suspect or motive.