Scrap firearm buyback
Petitioners ask the government to scrap the firearm buyback and prioritize border security to stop illegal U.S. gun smuggling. The government responds it is prohibiting assault‑style firearms and strengthening border enforcement.
Why we would sign this petition
- It redirects resources from a costly buyback to border enforcement aimed at the petitioners’ identified source of illegal guns.
- It avoids imposing new burdens on lawful firearm owners who already follow regulations.
- It presses for targeted law‑enforcement action against smugglers and criminals rather than measures affecting compliant owners.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Removing prohibited assault‑style firearms via buyback and compensation can promptly take dangerous weapons out of communities.
- Border enforcement is important but may not address prohibited firearms already inside Canada, so domestic measures can be necessary.
- A voluntary compensation program provides an incentive for owners to surrender prohibited weapons; cancelling it could reduce compliance.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA WHEREAS • The Government of Canada's gun buyback plan does not focus on the main cause of gun violence: illegal guns being smuggled from the U.S. • Instead, it places new burdens on law-abiding firearm owners who already follow strict rules. • The program is expected to cost more than $700 million, with little evidence it will significantly improve public safety. THEREFORE • We, the undersigned citizens and permanent residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to scrap their gun buyback program and focus on border security, stopping illegal gun smuggling, and going after criminals, rather than targeting responsible firearm owners.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Public Safety Signed by Jacques Ramsay, Parliamentary Secretary The Government of Canada is taking action through its comprehensive approach to address firearms violence and combat crime. This approach includes removing assault-style firearms from Canadian communities, investing in border security and law enforcement capacity to reduce firearms smuggling and trafficking, addressing firearms violence, including in situations of intimate partner and family violence, and supporting intervention and prevention programs addressing gun and gang violence. Since May 2020, over 2,500 makes and models of assault-style firearms have been prohibited. These prohibited assault-style firearms can no longer be legally possessed, sold in, or imported into Canada and can only be transferred or transported under limited circumstances. These firearms with semi-automatic action and sustained rapid-fire capability are not suitable for hunting or sport shooting and exceed safe civilian use. The Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP) provides an opportunity for individual firearm owners and businesses to seek compensation while coming into compliance with the law. While participation to obtain compensation through the program is voluntary, compliance with the law is not. Individuals who did not declare their prohibited firearms during the declaration period must dispose of or permanently deactivate them before the amnesty period ends on October 30, 2026. The Government is committed to this program being as cost-effective and efficient as possible, while promoting public safety by removing these dangerous firearms from communities. The Program’s overall funding envelope is $742.5 million (including approximately $248.6 million for compensation to individuals and businesses). The ASFCP for individuals opened with a declaration period that began on January 19, 2026 and ran until March 31, 2026. As of April 1, 2026, more than 67,000 assault-style firearms have been declared by 37,869 firearms owners across Canada. Beginning in April, the program will assess declarations submitted by firearms owners. The program will communicate directly with participants to give instructions on how to finalize their claims and then permanently deactivate or make an appointment to turn in their firearms for compensation. Following the assessment period, collection and compensation processes are expected to run from spring through early fall 2026 in various parts of the country. Collection will be undertaken by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, local police or secured mobile collection units. The compensation program for businesses ran successfully between November 2024 and April 2025 for firearms prohibited in May 2020. Over 12,000 firearms have already been collected and destroyed. The program has re-opened to eligible businesses on April 23, 2026 to include firearms prohibited in December 2024 and March 2025, and continue to accept those prohibited in May 2020. Results of the ASFCP for individuals and businesses will be reported at the Program’s conclusion. The Canada Border Services Agency plays a critical role as Canada’s first line of defence in controlling the importation and exportation of firearms, weapons, and related parts. As part of the Public Safety portfolio, the Canada Border Services Agency works to interdict smuggled, prohibited, or improperly documented firearms at over 1,200 service points. This includes denying the entry of illegal firearms or firearm parts into Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency also criminally prosecutes firearms smugglers and where they are not Canadian, denies them entry to or removes them from Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency has established three integrated firearms enforcement teams: the Ontario Firearms Smuggling Enforcement Team, the Prairie Integrated Firearms Enforcement Team and the Québec Weapons Smuggling Integrated Enforcement Team. The teams are composed of criminal investigators, intelligence officers, and firearms intelligence analysts. These cross-functional teams investigate, arrest and prosecute firearms smugglers. In 2025, the Canada Border Services Agency seized over 830 firearms and 17,700 prohibited weapons at our ports of entry. Over 90 percent of all firearms seized at our border coming into Canada came from the US and less than 1 percent were seized on export. Post border enforcement has significantly expanded impact, with Canada Border Services Agency search warrants more than doubling firearms removed domestically; in the 6 month period between January 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, warrants resulted in the seizure of 62 firearms, 171 parts, 14 prohibited devices which exceeds the 2024 calendar year totals.