Fears Liberals may have 'abandoned' assault-style gun control efforts: advocacy group

A prominent gun control group fears the Liberal government has abandoned its commitment to enact a comprehensive ban on assault-style firearms, citing «no tangible progress» on key steps to fulfil the pledge.

In an open letter to Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, PolySeSouvient spokesperson Nathalie Provost expresses concern that «we won't see these measures materialize in our lifetimes» as the clock ticks toward a federal election that must be held by October of next year.

A record of wasting public support and bungling various opportunities over the years would be a «devastating legacy» for the Liberals, wrote Provost, a survivor of the 1989 mass shooting at Montreal's École Polytechnique.

The group wants the federal government to follow through on plans to proceed with a buyback of banned assault-style firearms, including the AR-15, prohibit others that fell through the legislative cracks and strengthen regulations on large-capacity magazines.

LeBlanc's office said in a statement to The Canadian Press that it is «continuing to put strong measures in place to tackle gun violence.»

The letter from PolySeSouvient comes about a week after an assassination attempt on former U.S. president Donald Trump using what has been described as an AR-15-style rifle.

Late last year, Parliament passed a government bill that cemented restrictions on handguns, increased penalties for firearm trafficking and aimed to curb homemade ghost guns.

The legislation also included a ban on assault-style firearms that fall under a new technical definition.

PolySeSouvient cautioned that the potential public safety benefits of most of the key measures would depend on forthcoming regulations that will flesh out the details.

Group criticizes lack of