Feds say 16 people participated in firearms 'buyback' pilot that collected 25 guns

OTTAWA — The federal Public Safety department says 16 people took part in a pilot of its firearms compensation program that resulted in 25 banned guns being turned over and destroyed. 

The department released the figure just days after revealing the results and “lessons learned” from the test it ran in parts of Cape Breton over six weeks last year, where it initially expected to collect up to 200 prohibited firearms.

“A total of 25 prohibited firearms, turned in by 16 participants, were destroyed,” spokesperson Noémie Allard said in a statement on Friday. 

“ The total compensation paid to pilot participants is $26,535.” 

Later this month, the government plans to launch the long-promised compensation program for individual gun owners with one of the more than 2,500 makes and models of firearms the federal Liberal government has banned since 2020, according to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s office.

While the federal Liberals and gun control advocates say such weapons are too dangerous for public use, many firearms groups, along with the Opposition Conservatives, say the government is wasting taxpayer dollars by targeting lawful gun owners and argue the program will have no impact on public safety.

Lobby groups like the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights say the results from the pilot demonstrate that the program is destined for failure.

The federal government has instituted an amnesty period for individuals with prohibited guns until October 2026.

As the federal government prepares to launch the program nationally, the Public Safety department is trying to formalize agreements with different provinces and municipal police agencies to assist with collection efforts.

This week, officials announced that a deal had been reached with Quebec that would see the federal government compensate the province to the tune of $12 million for its coordination of that work.

Police in Halifax, Winnipeg, Cape Breton, and Fredericton have said they are willing to participate.

Meanwhile, many police forces in the Greater Toronto Area and elsewhere in Ontario say they have not yet made a decision.

A spokeswoman for the RCMP did not directly say what role RCMP officers in divisions across the country would play in the rollout of the program, saying it could not comment on the government’s “ plans or timing” of the program’s rollout. 

“As part of the rollout, the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program will notify firearms licensees about the (program) and how to participate.”

A spokesman in Anandasangaree’s office this week said that while agreements were in the works with more provinces and police, the banned weapons would be collected through special collection units to be sent around the country.

In its lists of findings from the pilot, the Public Safety department said that a much longer declaration period was needed to allow more time for firearms owners to declare they own one of the government-banned guns, as compared to the several weeks it had during the test run. 

The department also emphasized the need for a clearer registration process and more “timely” guidance on how to participate.

The federal government last year opened the compensation program for businesses, which resulted in some 12,000 firearms being turned over and destroyed.

It has provided no timeline as to when it may reopen the program for dealers, despite the government announcing last fall that it would be reopened in the “coming weeks.”

National Post

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