Canada’s so-called “voluntary” gun buyback program carries a chilling twist: law-abiding gun owners who refuse to surrender their legally purchased firearms after the October 31, 2026 amnesty deadline face up to 10 years in prison under the Criminal Code for prohibited weapons possession.

Government Doublespeak: “Voluntary” Program with Criminal Penalties

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government rolled out its firearms ban on May 1, 2020, prohibiting over 1,500 models of so-called assault-style weapons like the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14 through executive Order-in-Council. The government marketed the subsequent buyback program as voluntary compensation, offering payment or deactivation options. However, the fine print reveals the scheme’s true nature: failure to comply by the October 31, 2026 amnesty deadline transforms lawful gun owners into criminals. Post-deadline possession becomes a prohibited weapons offense under Canada’s Criminal Code, carrying penalties up to 10 years imprisonment. This bait-and-switch exemplifies government overreach, punishing citizens for exercising property rights.

Massive Cost Overruns and Bureaucratic Expansion

The program’s financial footprint illustrates classic government mismanagement. Initial estimates pegged costs at $400-600 million, but projections now balloon to approximately $2 billion—a cost overrun exceeding 300 percent. By late 2023, Public Safety Canada had already burned through $41.9 million on 60 staff members while collecting virtually no firearms from individuals. Phase 1 targeted businesses through the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association, identifying around 11,000 firearms. Phase 2 for individual owners remains stalled with no firm timeline, despite January 2026’s declaration portal launch. This taxpayer-funded boondoggle diverts resources from addressing actual criminal gun trafficking while expanding federal bureaucracy under the guise of public safety.

Provincial Resistance Exposes Federal Weakness

The buyback program faces unprecedented provincial pushback, revealing deep fractures in Canadian federalism. As of January 2026, only Quebec agreed to provide police resources for the program, while most provinces and territories declined participation. Saskatchewan and Alberta explicitly banned provincial law enforcement from assisting federal collection efforts, viewing the program as constitutional overreach into provincial jurisdiction. This resistance reflects the rural-urban divide: affected firearms predominantly belong to licensed hunters and sport shooters in rural communities, not urban criminals. The Autumn 2025 pilot on Cape Breton Island epitomized this failure, collecting merely 25 firearms from 16 owners versus the expected 200. Such dismal compliance rates foreshadow a national enforcement nightmare.

Criminalizing Law-Abiding Citizens While Ignoring Real Crime

The program’s core absurdity lies in targeting legal gun owners rather than criminals who already ignore firearms laws. Automatic weapons have been banned in Canada for decades; the newly prohibited firearms are semi-automatic sporting rifles used by licensed hunters and competitive shooters. The Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association vehemently opposes the ban, noting provincial regulations create insurmountable hurdles. Even Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino’s 2023 claims of a “comprehensive plan to keep Canadians safe” ring hollow when enforcement relies on provinces that refuse cooperation. Meanwhile, urban gun violence driven by illegal handguns continues unabated. This echoes the left’s standard playbook: ignore criminals, punish lawful citizens, expand government control. By the October 2026 deadline, tens of thousands of Canadians who committed no crime face criminal records and prison time for retaining legally purchased property, eroding trust in federal authority and setting a dangerous precedent for executive overreach against fundamental rights.

American gun owners should watch Canada’s cautionary tale closely. What begins as “voluntary compensation” morphs into forced confiscation backed by criminal penalties. The program’s staggering costs, bureaucratic incompetence, and provincial resistance demonstrate how gun control schemes collapse under their own contradictions while threatening citizens’ liberties. As Trump’s administration strengthens Second Amendment protections in the United States, Canada’s experience serves as a stark reminder: once governments claim authority to ban lawfully owned firearms, no property rights remain secure, and “voluntary” quickly becomes compulsory at gunpoint.

Sources:

May 1, 2024: Canada’s Gun Confiscation Hits Four-Year Milestone – NRA-ILA

Canada firearms buyback: CSAAA agreement – Global News

Gun buyback program – Wikipedia