Outdoor Pursuits

The Liberal government’s so-called “buyback” program for so-called assault-style firearms is a gross example of Liberal political theater. Launched in 2020, the program was promised as a means to remove “military-style” weapons from circulation, providing fair compensation to affected owners. Yet, five years later, it remains mired in delays, ballooning costs, and widespread opposition. Far from a voluntary exchange, it’s an outright confiscation scheme targeting legal, vetted gun owners who have committed no crimes. This waste of taxpayer dollars isn’t about safety; it’s about virtue-signaling to urban voters while ignoring the real reasons for gun violence.

At its core, the program is a farce because the government never “owned” these firearms in the first place. Legal owners purchased them under existing laws, often after rigorous background checks and licensing through the Canadian Firearms Program. So, how can you “buy-back” something that you never owned in the first place?

To date, the financial burden on taxpayers has been staggering. Initial estimates pegged the cost at $200 to 600 million, but reality has proven far grimmer. Public Safety Canada has already spent $51.6 million from 2021 to 2023 on planning alone, with projections exceeding $450 million in the next fiscal year. The Parliamentary Budget Officer warns that compensating owners could top $756 million, pushing the total toward $2 billion after administration, marketing, and enforcement. Critics, including the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, call it a “wasteful scheme” that diverts funds from border security, where 55% of Canadians polled want resources focused. Meanwhile, gun homicides have risen annually since 2020, with Statistics Canada reporting a 10% increase in firearm-related offences in 2024, largely tied to gangs and illegal handguns, not banned long guns. This disconnect highlights the program’s failures: it punishes law-abiding gun owners while criminals, who ignore laws entirely, remain unbothered.

This isn’t the Liberals’ first rodeo with failed gun control initiatives. Under Jean Chrétien in the 1990s, Bill C-68 created the long-gun registry, mandating registration of rifles and shotguns. Promised as a tool to track criminals, it ballooned to over $1 billion in costs, and failed miserably at reducing crime. The registry was scrapped by the Harper Conservatives in 2012. Fast-forward to Justin Trudeau’s era: Bill C-71 in 2019 enhanced background checks and record-keeping but did little to curb rising urban gun violence. The 2020 ban itself was rushed via Order in Council and expanded in December 2024 and March 2025 to include over 2,000 models, even banning .22 long rifles. Bill C-21, passed in 2023, added a handgun freeze and “red flag” laws. These restrictions on legal gun owners have had zero effect on crime. Experts, like University of Toronto professor Jooyoung Lee, note buybacks “are largely ineffective” because participants aren’t the violent offenders. The Liberals’ approach ignores root causes—gang activity and border smuggling—opting instead for feel-good bans that alienate 2.4 million licenced gun owners, whose numbers grew 3.3% in Alberta alone in 2024.

Adding to the confusion is Liberal leader Mark Carney’s recent claim that the program is “voluntary”. In a September 2025 interview with Alberta podcaster Ryan Jespersen, Carney insisted, “This is about voluntary return of firearms for compensation... People aren’t going around confiscating guns. That is a mischaracterization.” However, official government statements contradict his spin. Public Safety Canada emphasizes that owners of now-prohibited firearms “are expected to dispose of their prohibited assault-style firearms and devices, or ensure they are deactivated.” Failure to comply risks criminal liability under the Criminal Code, including fines, imprisonment, or seizure without compensation.

The Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights (CCFR) dismiss Carney’s words as “ignorance or deception,” noting the program’s mandatory intent since inception. If truly voluntary, owners could ignore it without fear—but that’s not the case. Carney’s remark seems like damage control to appease premiers like Danielle Smith, but it undermines years of Liberal rhetoric framing non-compliance as a public safety threat.

However, Premier Smith offers a beacon of resistance against Liberal overreach. Smith has vowed to “do everything in her power to thwart the attack on Alberta gun owners,” positioning the UCP government as a shield for the province’s 300,000+ licenced owners. Alberta’s opposition dates back to 2022, when it passed the Provincial Priorities Act, directing the RCMP (contracted for provincial policing) not to enforce the federal buyback program without provincial approval. Smith has repeated this in 2025 town halls, stating Alberta will “defend firearms owners’ rights” by refusing to participate in collections or provide resources. Practically, this means Alberta sheriffs and municipal police require Justice Minister permits for any buyback involvement, effectively stalling federal efforts.

The Liberal’s gun buyback program is a monumental failure: expensive, ineffective, and divisive. Past Liberal failures like the long-gun registry prove a pattern of punishing the law-abiding while crime grows unchecked. Carney’s “voluntary” statement rings hollow against mandatory threats, and Smith’s defiance in Alberta could doom the scheme—let’s hope so, as taxpayers deserve better than this farce—it is nothing more than a politically motivated attack on legitimate gun owners.

For the previous Outdoor Pursuits article, click here.