Outdoor Pursuits

The Liberal government has revived and accelerated its so-called gun “buyback” program. Almost simultaneously with the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling that the Liberal’s enactment of the Emergencies Act was illegal and unconstitutional, Ottawa announced that it would move forward with confiscating firearms that were legally purchased and lawfully owned by Canadians. It seems that whenever the Liberals find themselves mired in scandal, or facing damaging headlines, gun control re-emerges as a political shield, designed to shift public attention and rally their Liberal base.

The Liberals insist the program is “voluntary”, but when firearms are banned by regulation and owners are told they must surrender them or face criminal penalties, there is nothing voluntary about it.

Advocacy groups such as PolySeSouvient amplify the government’s messaging, claiming that owners will be “fully compensated” and repeating the label of “assault weapons” to describe legally-acquired firearms used for hunting and sporting purposes. Compensation remains uncertain at the least, timelines are constantly pushed back, and the list of so-called “assault weapons” continues to grow. Calling this anything other than state-sponsored theft shows ignorance—this is simply confiscating property from citizens who have committed no crime.

Since 2020, thousands of firearms have been banned by order-in-council, without parliamentary debate and without evidence that these prohibitions would reduce criminal violence. At the same time, the government has done nothing to address the real sources of gun crime—smuggling across the border and repeat violent offenders. Illegal handguns used in urban shootings are not being stolen from rural gun safes, yet law-abiding gun owners are treated as though they are the problem.

Resistance to the Liberal’s confiscation scheme has grown. The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR) has openly encouraged gun owners to ignore the program. Their skepticism is shared by provincial governments across the country. Roughly 60 percent of Canadians live in provinces that have refused to participate in administering the confiscation program, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick. These provinces cite a range of reasons, including the diversion of police resources away from fighting real crime. Some provinces have gone further by passing legislation designed to protect gun owners. Alberta and Saskatchewan have introduced laws requiring fair compensation and have created obstacles to thwart the program—thank you Danille Smith. When provinces are forced to act against federal policy to defend their residents, something has gone seriously wrong with the plan.

There is also a glaring problem at the heart of the program—the federal government doesn’t actually know how many of these banned firearms exist in Canada. Without a complete registry, Liberals are attempting to run a nationwide confiscation scheme in the dark. This raises obvious questions about cost, feasibility, and fairness. How can compensation be guaranteed when the number of firearms is unknown? To suggest firearms owners will be fairly compensated is an outright lie, suggesting the government considers gun owners as stupid.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been among the most outspoken opponents of the scheme. She has pledged to use the Alberta Sovereignty Act to prevent enforcement of the federal confiscation program in Alberta, directing provincial officials and police not to get involved. By blocking provincial resources from supporting the Liberals, Alberta is asserting that public safety is better served by focusing on violent crime rather than seizing property from law-abiding Albertans.

CCFR vice-president Tracey Wilson has advised gun owners not to rush declarations, warning that compensation is far from guaranteed and that political realities can change quickly. With elections looming and deadlines repeatedly extended, the program remains in limbo, eroding whatever credibility it may have had.

Taken together, the Liberal government’s gun confiscation plans appear less like a public safety strategy and more like a political distraction from Liberal schemes and fraudulent scams. Until Ottawa confronts criminal violence directly, and respects the rights of lawful citizens... sorry, I clearly went delusional there for a moment... that ain’t gonna’ happen!

The Liberal government’s gun confiscation scheme is just another example of this government’s overreach and disregard for the rights of Canadian citizens. Canadians were told repeatedly that extraordinary powers were necessary to protect public order when our truckers took to Ottawa to voice there concerns over Liberal overreach during the COVID fiasco, yet when the courts later ruled that invoking the Emergencies Act was illegal, there was no accountability. Several cabinet ministers who played roles in that decision remain in cabinet today, governing as though nothing happened. For a country that is said to pride itself on the rule of law, this should sicken all of us. When a government can unlawfully suspend rights and face no consequences, it sets a precedent that should alarm everybody, regardless of our political beliefs.

And this program, attacking law-abiding gun owners, should be challenged, not voluntarily complied with.

For the previous Outdoor Pursuits article, click here.