Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: Last week, Minister Lametti announced a freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns. He made the announcement in Montreal North, a neighbourhood plagued by shootings and murders committed with firearms. Apparently, it hasn’t occurred to Canada’s Minister of Justice that criminals do not use guns that are sold legally, but rather black market firearms from the United States. Police officers, analysts, mayors and provincial security officials all know this and have been saying so for years.

Leader, was last Friday’s announcement another example of the government shirking its responsibilities, or are the Prime Minister and his ministers really that naive when it comes to the gun crimes that continue to claim lives in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and elsewhere in Canada?