Secrecy and accountability 'can coexist': groups push for Tumbler Ridge gun details

OTTAWA — Five gun control advocacy groups are renewing pressure on the RCMP to disclose information about the firearms used in the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., saying public discussion of the details could help prevent another tragedy. The RCMP says the force cannot reveal specific information because the investigation of the February shootings at a home and school in the small community is active and ongoing. 14 letter addressed to RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, the groups say that as a new school year begins, students, parents, teachers and communities deserve verified information that could help address failures in gun control law or its enforcement before another mass shooting happens.

“In a mass murder investigation like the one at Tumbler Ridge, operational secrecy and public accountability can coexist,” the letter says. “Police should operate on a principle of maximum transparency and minimum secrecy to maintain public trust, prevent misinformation and allow informed debates about potential policy changes to increase public safety from gun violence.” The letter is signed by Heidi Rathjen of the group PolySeSouvient and by representatives of Angie’s Angels, Canadian Doctors for Protection Against Guns, Danforth Families for Safe Communities and the Quebec Mosque. 10 shootings in Tumbler Ridge left nine people dead, including young assailant Jesse Van Rootselaar, who took her own life.

The Canadian Press is part of a consortium of media outlets taking legal action to obtain information about the guns used in the mass shooting and the weapons seized from the home of Van Rootselaar. The letter from the gun control advocacy groups says no responsible person or party is asking police to release operational details, witness accounts, investigative tactics or material that could prejudice a legal process. “But Canadians have a right to know how our gun control system worked — or failed to work — when multiple children are shot and killed in a matter of minutes,” the letter reads.

The groups seek details about the guns involved in the killings, including make, model, type, classification and legal status, along with relevant information about magazines, prohibited devices, ammunition or accessories. In the event disclosure must still be delayed, the groups say they want a clear explanation of the type of information being withheld…