Open letter: 20 years after Dawson College shooting, survivors, families ask Carney to ‘fulfil firearms commitments’

A couple observe a public memorial at the scene of the Dawson College shootings in the early morning of Sunday, September 17, 2006. (CP PHOTO/Ian Barrett)

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

On September 13, Canada will mark 20 years since the shooting at Dawson College in Montreal.

On that day in 2006, a gunman carried three legally acquired firearms — including .45 Glock handgun and a Beretta CX4 Storm semi-automatic carbine with a legal 10-round magazine.

He shot 20 people.

Anastasia De Sousa was 18 years old.

She was shot 12 times at close range and died from her injuries.

Since that terrible day years ago, survivors and families of Anastasia and those injured or traumatized have urged successive governments to fix the laws that enabled a troubled and angry young man to legally obtain firearms and accessories capable of causing mass casualties.

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There has been progress, including the prohibition of many assault-style firearms and the handgun freeze, but key commitments remain unfinished.

The Beretta CX4 Storm was prohibited in 2020, but it and many other assault-style firearm models remain in civilian hands.

While the sale of new handguns has been frozen, more than one million remain in circulation, with a loophole that could increase this number.

Most importantly, the legal loopholes that allow access to large-capacity magazines have still not been closed.

We are asking your government to act now on three clear priorities.

1) Complete the assault-style firearms ban and their removal from circulation

You promised to “quickly reinvigorate” and “complete” the buyback and removal of assault-style weapons in the last election.

While the program is now underway, only half of the estimated number of assault weapons were registered.

Those not included in the buyback will be removed once the amnesty runs out.

Unfortunately, the decision to extend the amnesty means that prohibited, fully functional firearms will remain accessible for at least another year.

This prolongs an unacceptable public-safety risk and undermines the purpose of the 2020/2024/2025 prohibitions.

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The ban will also remain incomplete as long as the SKS rifle continues to be legally available.

The SKS is a military-designed semi-automatic rifle that has been repeatedly linked to mass shootings and the murder of police officers in Canada, including the recent shooting in Montreal’s Côte-desNeiges neighbourhood.

Your government should set a firm deadline to complete the removal of prohibited assault-style firearms from civilian circulation and move without delay to prohibit the SKS and other remaining military-style firearms that fall outside the current framework.

2) Close the large-capacity magazine loopholes

We are especially disappointed by the lack of action on large-capacity magazines.

Closing the loophole that permits the sale of so-called “modifiable” magazines — magazines that can easily be restored to their original, illegal capacity — has long been a Liberal commitment, which was reiterated during the last election.

This issue of loopholes and exemptions is not theoretical.

The Dawson gunman was able to use 10-round magazines with his restricted Beretta CX4 Storm, even though the firearm would otherwise have been limited to five rounds.

In his 2008 report on the Dawson College shooting, Coroner Dr. Jacques Ramsay — now the Liberal MP for La Prairie-Atateken and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety — identified the magazine loophole as a factor in the scale of the tragedy.

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He wrote that, had the gunman been limited to five rounds, there would have been fewer victims.

That finding should have led to swift action. Instead, two decades later, these loopholes remain open.

We recognize that Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree announced a broader review of the legal framework for firearms, devices, magazines and ammunition on December 4, 2025.

Another review, however, is not a solution. Survivors and families have waited long enough.

Your government should immediately introduce the regulatory changes needed to prohibit the sale, transfer and possession of easily modified magazines that can exceed Canada’s legal capacity limits and to eliminate other loopholes and exemptions.

3) Strengthen oversight of handgun exemptions

We also remain concerned about the Olympic and Paralympic sport-shooting exemption to the 2022 freeze on new handgun sales.

Available data show significant differences among provinces in how these exemptions are granted.

That inconsistency raises legitimate concerns about weak oversight and the potential for abuse.

An exemption intended for a narrow group of high-performance athletes must not become a back door around the handgun freeze.

Four years after the freeze came into force, there is still no public indication that clear national standards, transparent criteria or a consistent regulatory process have been put in place.

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Your government should establish and publish rigorous, nationally consistent regulatory rules governing these exemptions, including clear eligibility requirements and meaningful verification.

We are survivors of the Dawson College shooting and family members of Anastasia De Sousa.

Among us is Kathlene Dixon, the mother of Dawson survivor Meaghan Hennegan, who died in 2022.

For two decades, we have come to Ottawa with a simple request: ensuring that Canadian firearms laws put public safety first by banning weapons and accessories that enable mass shootings.

Prime Minister, your government has made clear commitments.

The upcoming anniversary is an opportunity to honour the victims of Dawson College with action — not further consultations, delays or excuses.

Sincerely,

Louise De Sousa, mother of Anastasia De Sousa, on behalf her family

Meaghan Hennegan, survivor, on behalf of her family

Hayder Kadhim, survivor, on behalf of his family

Gaynor Harding, mother of witness, on behalf of her family

Rama Kosara, president, Dawson Student Union