A Victoria man who survived the deadliest mass shooting in American history is applauding new Canadian firearms legislation that includes a mandatory buyback program for prohibited assault-style firearms.
Sheldon Mack was on the Las Vegas strip on Oct. 1, 2017, when 58 people were killed and 546 were injured by a Nevada man spraying bullets from an AR-15 military-grade, semi-automatic rifle into the crowd.
“Definitely, we shouldn’t have semi-automatic guns available,” Mack said Monday. “I respect people who are hunters, who go through the proper channels. But I don’t see the need for anything assault-style or automatic, even if you are a hunter. Why anyone would think this is a necessity for daily life is beyond me.”
Mack, who was celebrating his 21st birthday that night, was struck by a bullet that shattered the radial bone in his forearm, entered his abdomen and passed through his colon.
“It was pretty tough for a while. I had a long recovery period. But I’m definitely having more of a regular life. It was tough to overcome, but now I’m all healed up,” he said.
But the emotional impact of the shooting will perhaps never leave, especially with horrific reminders of mass killings this month in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.
“After my ordeal, I thought it would be enough to drive the message home that this should stop. But it just kept happening more and more. I pride myself on being brave, but for it to be children at an elementary school, it is mind-boggling and your heart goes out to them,” said Mack. “You pray for change but you don’t really hope for much from the States.”
Mack supports a new “red flag” law that allows anyone to apply to a judge to remove firearms from people considered a danger to themselves or others.
A “yellow flag” law allows chief firearms officers to temporarily suspend a firearms licence if the officer receives information that calls the person’s eligibility for a licence into question.
“It seems [the government] is making it tougher for more violent individuals to get their hands on guns,” said Mack. “People are putting their foot down and making the right political choices.”
The new legislation prevents the buying, selling and transfer of handguns to most individuals. It aims to reduce family violence by automatically revoking a firearms licence when a person has been involved in domestic violence or stalking.
People with an existing or prior restraining order will be prevented from obtaining a licence.
In Canada, between 2010 and 2019, 27 per cent of domestic homicides involved firearms, according to the Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative.
Changes to the criminal code will see an increase in the maximum penalty for weapons smuggling and trafficking to 14 years from 10.
It will also be illegal to import, export or transfer mid-velocity replica airguns.
ldickson@timescolonist.com
