Friends of slain Montreal teen take up handgun fight, seeking ban at federal level

Published December 21, 2021 at 4:07 pm

MONTREAL — Close friends of a Montreal teen killed in an apparently random act of gun violence last month have banded together in an effort to change gun laws.

The group have named themselves Ensemble pour Thomas, in memory of Thomas Trudel, a 16-year-old Montreal teen who was gunned down as he walked home from a park in mid-November.

The gun-control lobby group, created by four high school students who were close to Trudel, aims to bring together young people to advocate for tougher handgun rules and a clampdown on handgun trafficking.

Their first order of business was to send a letter this week to Quebec Premier François Legault, urging a clearer position on banning handguns and support for their own efforts to bring about a federal ban.

Since Trudel’s death, Quebec and Ottawa have lobbed the handgun issue back and forth, but the group says there shouldn’t have to be another tragedy for the governments to act.

During the last federal election, the Liberals pledged to give provinces the power to ban handguns.