MONTREAL -- The City of Montreal is voicing its displeasure with the federal government's gun control law saying it only goes part of the way to curb the issue.
"Although the City of Montreal shares the federal government's desire to have safer communities, it is disappointing that Bill C-21 only partially meets this objective," the city wrote in a news release Wednesday. "In addition, the bill as tabled raises enormous issues of applicability for cities, since the responsibilities bequeathed to them go well beyond municipal powers."
Montreal supports prohibiting assault weapons noting the history of school shootings at Dawson College in 2006 and Ecole Polytechnique in 1989.
The city argues the new "Red Flag" law offloads the responsibility for controlling handguns to the city and that "we are missing a golden opportunity to legislate clear, harmonized and effective rules across Canada."
"As we know, the northeast of Montreal has seen a recent increase in violent incidents involving the use of firearms," the city's release reads. "However, the provision of the federal handguns law covers only legally acquired handguns. However, we know that several handguns in circulation in Montreal are acquired or possessed illegally."
The city says it's working with the Montreal police department (SPVM) and is developing a special squad with a mandate to curb illegal firearm trafficking.
The equipe dediee a la lutte contre le trafic d'armes (ELTA) is scheduled to be deployed Feb. 22.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante will meet federal MInister of Public Safety Bill Blair on Friday to discuss the gun issue.
