۹ فروردین ۱۴۰۳ |۱۸ رمضان ۱۴۴۵ | Mar 28, 2024
'Not again': Son of Quebec mosque shooting victim calls for gun reform after Toronto deaths

Amir Belkacemi's father was one of six people killed in the January 2017 shooting at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City.

Hawzah News Agency (Quebec, canada) – When Amir Belkacemi heard about the July 22 mass shooting in Toronto's Greektown neighbourhood, the news was familiar.

"I thought to myself, 'Not again, not again,'" he told Cross Country Checkup host Duncan McCue. "The Quebec mosque shooting is still very fresh in our memories."

Belkacemi's father, Khaled, was one of six people killed in the January 2017 shooting at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City. The shooter, Alexandre Bissonnette, plead guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder in March.

 

Gun owners defend 'sport'

Earlier this week, Toronto city council voted overwhelmingly to ask Ottawa for a ban on handgun sales within city limits. The Liberal government has proposed "common sense" gun law reform — Bill C-71 — that they say will crack down on illegal firearms while protecting legal gun owners.

Advocates argue a ban is the best way to reduce gun violence in the city. Meanwhile, gun owners told Checkup that such an approach infringes the rights of legal firearm owners.

The desire to own a gun is something that Belkacemi has trouble understanding.

"I understand that we live in a free country. I can't understand that some people, for some reason, would want to have such guns," he said.

 

'Nowhere … is totally safe'

Belkacemi doesn't believe that an outright ban on handguns will stop people from using them, a sentiment echoed by many Checkup callers on Sunday.

However, Belkacemi says that gun laws need to be be strengthened, saying that Bill C-71 is a "good place to start."

"It's very important … that we strengthen background checks when it comes to permits for guns," he said.

While Belkacemi believes that Canada remains a safe place, the recent spate of gun violence in the country has him shaken.

It's a "crazy world," he told Checkup, adding that "nowhere … is totally safe."

"In 2018, we kind of have to reconsider our idea of what safety is," he said.

 

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