Nova Scotia, Canada: A year after the mass shooting, assault rifles have been banned for months

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But as the sounds of Millbrook First Nation’s Mi’kmaq Honor Song filled the church on Sunday, family and friends of the 22 victims of Canada’s worst-ever mass murder painfully realize that some things will never be the same again.

“A year ago, 22 Canadians were senselessly murdered and three others were injured when a gunman ran wild in small towns in Nova Scotia,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement prior to the church ceremony commemorating the tragedy.

“Even a year later, I know there is no consolation for the fear of a revered parent or dear child being snatched away. I know there are no words for losing a beloved agent and teacher. correction officers, ”he said. in a separately recorded message.

So all I can say is this: you’re not alone. All Canadians are right next to you and grieve with you today and always. ‘

A gruesome rampage

Over 12 hours, beginning April 18 and continuing through April 19, Gabriel Wortman embarked on a murderous disaster in rural Nova Scotia, killing 22 people – some of whom he knew, others strangers.

Nine of 22 victims of Nova Scotia disaster died in fires caused by gunman, researchers say
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said 13 were fatally shot and nine others died in house fires caused by the shooter.
Wortman, 51, was shot dead by police after an hours-long manhunt in which he pretended to be one of them, according to police, including wearing an RCMP uniform and driving what appeared to be a police cruiser.

Police say the shooter did not have a firearms license and his weapons were obtained illegally, probably from the United States.

Rapid legislative action

Less than two weeks after the massacre, the Trudeau government banned more than 1,500 models and variants of assault weapons, making their use, sale or import illegal.
Trudeau's ban on assault weapons doesn't do enough

“These weapons are designed for one purpose, and one purpose only, to kill the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time,” Trudeau said at the time.

In 2019, Trudeau’s Liberal Party promised tighter gun control, but the Nova Scotia tragedy bolstered that decision.

The Trudeau government introduced more gun control legislation earlier this year, promising to strengthen the regulation of guns and their owners.
Canada will not introduce a national ban on small arms, but they leave that to individual communities

Polls have shown for decades that a majority of Canadians support tougher gun control, but the Trudeau administration’s attempt to pass more legislation has met with some skepticism from gun control advocates and opponents alike.

Canada’s opposition leader, conservative party leader Erin O’Toole, says Trudeau’s new and proposed gun bans and buyback schemes will punish law-abiding gun owners while doing little to solve the growing problem of gun violence in Canadian cities.

And some gun control advocates and big city mayors say they are disappointed that the Trudeau government has not proposed a national ban on small arms.

Federal-provincial investigation will investigate the tragedy

How and why this massacre took place in one of the safest and most unlikely places in Canada will now be the subject of an investigation in the province of Nova Scotia, but a final report is not expected for more than a year.

Canadian police failed to issue a public warning about the Nova Scotia shooter in a timely manner

The RCMP acknowledges that there are many questions about how the shooter obtained so many firearms and his motivation, as well as what the RCMP knew about his ability to pose as an officer wearing uniforms and police cars.

“We understand that people have questions and want to know as much as possible about the incidents. Costs related to the investigation are currently in court and we are fully participating in the Mass Casualty Commission, which is underway. We hope that the Mass Casualty” Commission will give a full account of what happened to the families of the victims and the public, ”Lee Bergerman, Nova Scotia RCMP commander, said in a statement released this weekend.

His pregnant wife was killed in a mass shooting. Her last wish was for health workers to have PPE

As friends and relatives placed flowers in front of the altar in the church on Sunday, a bouquet for each victim, they await more legal reforms that can assure them that no community will ever have to endure this kind of gun violence again.

“We’ve all suffered so much this year,” said Jenny Kierstead, sister of victim Lisa McCully, adding that the actions of an armed man “destroyed” many lives.

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