Quebec City mosque that was targeted by gunman wants firearms-control bill adopted

Boufeldja Benabdallah, president of Quebec's Islamic Cultural Centre (CCIQ) listens to Quebec City mayor speaking at a community dinner marking the commemoration of the mosque shooting Wednesday, January 29, 2020 in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

OTTAWA -

A spokesman for the Quebec City mosque where six men were shot to death in 2017 is calling on Ottawa to pass a gun-control bill being studied by MPs.

Boufeldja Benabdallah told the House of Commons public safety committee today the bill should be amended to include a comprehensive and permanent definition of banned assault-style firearms.

He says the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre wants that definition to include all assault-style semi-automatic guns that could not reasonably be used for hunting.

The bill, introduced by the Liberal government in May, would "freeze" the purchase, sale, transfer and importation of handguns in Canada.

The bill includes certain exemptions for high-level target shooters, but sport shooting groups have called for those exemptions to be expanded.

Ken Price of the organization Danforth Families for Safe Communities told the committee he worries exemptions will undermine the goal of reducing the number of guns in Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2022.