Several gun control advocacy organizations have sent an open letter to RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, urging the police to release more information about the weapons used in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting.
The letter was written by PolySeSouvient, a group formed after the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre, and is signed by representatives from Angies Angels, the Canadian Doctors for Protection Against Guns, Danforth Families for Safe Communities, and the Quebec Mosque.
“Releasing verified information now – at the very least regarding the firearms used – will strengthen citizens’ trust and confidence in the RCMP,” the letter reads. “Also, it may well help prevent more mass shootings and gun violence in communities across Canada.”
The RCMP responded in a statement to PolySeSouvient, saying the information is being withheld because it is still part of an active investigation, which will only conclude once “all investigative avenues have been exhausted and the evidence suggests there are no additional leads to follow.”
That being said, the statement adds that the B.C. RCMP is “mindful” of the recent announcement of a coroner’s inquest, and will participate in that process if and when officers, employees and subject matter experts are called to testify.
Nine people were killed on Feb. 10 in Tumbler Ridge, including the 18-year-old suspect and six children. The massacre began at the suspect’s home, where two people were shot and killed, and ended horrifically at the local secondary school.
Police found a long gun and a modified rifle at the school, and a shotgun at the home. Several other guns were found at the home that were not used in the shootings. Police had also confiscated — but returned — weapons from the home in 2024.
And a Facebook post by the suspect’s mother that same year (Jennifer Jacobs, who was killed in the shooting) shows an array of rifles with the caption “think it’s time to take them out for some target practice.” Police have not said whether these are thought to be the weapons found at either of the scenes.
PolySeSouvient points out (the letter is dated March 10) that it has now been a month since the shooting, and advocates are “alarmed and disappointed” that the RCMP has yet to disclose “basic information” about the models and legal status of the guns used.
The group argues this information could be used to strengthen public safety and prevent more mass shootings.
PolySeSouvient also contends that the RCMP’s reputation was damaged by the force’s handling of the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting — in which 22 people were killed — and ought to “demonstrate that the lessons learned from Nova Scotia are being applied to the Tumbler Ridge investigation.”
Specifically, the gun control advocates ask the RCMP to provide clarity on when gun model information will be released, when the public will be informed about the legal status and source of the firearms, and if this information is not released by the end of this month, what is the public safety rationale for further delay.
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma weighed in on the issue on Thursday, telling reporters that her view is the RCMP need space to conduct the investigation. But she also said the province is committed to eventually uncovering answers to these types of questions, including about the guns used.
“We have other tools in the government to get the answers as well,” she said.