So far in 2022, Montreal has been rocked by 19 murders, with victims ranging in age from 16 to 75. Twelve were committed using firearms.

Using the SPVM's available information about deadly crime, Narcity Québec created an interactive map of the homicides that have occurred so far in the Montreal region (the City of Montreal and on-island municipalities) this year. Each homicide is labelled with the date it occurred and pertinent details about the crime in French. The first murder of 2022 took place in the Plateau area, where a teenager only 17 years old was shot to death.

Last year, the SPVM counted 139 attempted murders and a total of 36 homicides.

New firearm legislation aims to curb gun violence across the country.

Bill C-21, introduced in May, is set to usher in a national freeze on the ownership, transfer and sale of handguns across the country. The goal is to "get firearms off our streets," according to the government press release on the subject. Before the national freeze sets in, the government is also introducing a temporary ban on the importation of certain restricted handguns starting this Friday, August 19.

These national measures aim to improve conditions across the country, including in Montreal. The city is also no stranger to gender-based and sexual violence, another axis of crime that the government is hoping to crack down on with the new handgun legislation. Last year, the SPVM registered 2,365 instances of sexual violence across the island.