Dawson shooting victim, family urge PM to keep gun registry
The family of a victim of Montreal's Dawson College shooting is urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to drop his government's plan to scrap the federal firearms registry.
Hayder Kadhim was hit with three bullets when Kimveer Gill stormed the college and opened fire on Sept. 13, killing Anastasia De Sousa and wounding 19 others. Kadhim, who is recovering at home, still has one bullet in his head and one in his neck.
His brother, Hassan Kadhim, said his whole family wants Harper's Conservatives to rethink their policies on gun control and back off plans to jettison the federal gun registry, which was introduced under an earlier Liberal government.
"I hope this would make them think twice, and even thrice, before making a decision to remove the gun registry," he said.
"By removing the gun registry, it's going to be much much easier for people to get guns, and these events might happen again and again, and nobody's safe out there."
Hayder Kadhim is willing to meet with Harper and debate him on the issue of gun control if that could make any difference, his brother said.
PM urged to imagine his own family was shot
Hassan Kadhim urged Harper to put himself in the victims' shoes and consider how he would feel if one of his family members had been shot at the college.
"What would happen to his life? What would have happened to his wife, to his family, his direct family?" he asked.
"I would just like [him] to think about that."
He said his brother has been plagued with headaches and has developed post-traumatic stress, while the rest of the family has also suffered.
"At the beginning, when we saw him in the hospital, it was very hard for all of us, of course, especially for my mother, because you wish you were there to help him or save him."