The École Polytechnique massacre — a mass shooting incident on December 6 , 1989 in which Marc Lépine used a Mini-14 rifle to shoot 28 people , including 14 women killed , before committing suicide — sparked a substantial rise in activism to tighten Canada 's gun licensing and registry legislation . The first steps toward the Canadian long-gun registry began under the federal Progressive Conservative Party government of Prime Minister Kim Campbell . It was the child of former Conservative Senator Nathan Nurgitz , who wrote then Prime Minister Campbell requesting all guns be registered
École Polytechnique massacre
École Polytechnique massacre
Canadian Firearms Registry