Canadian Gun Owners Not Turning In Their Recently Banned Guns – Opinion

Despite the Canadian government’s banning of certain firearms, Canadians just aren’t giving up their boomsticks, disappointing experts and officials who were certain that they would be receiving guns by the truckload.

According to iPolitics Prime Minister Justin Trudeau implemented a ban on May 1, 2020. It was estimated that it would affect approximately 100,000 firearms within the country.

Today, 160 guns have been received by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for their decommissioning.

“The Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) can confirm that, as of Dec. 9, 2021, 18 firearms (formerly classified as restricted) affected by the May 1, 2020, Order in Council (OIC) have been deactivated,” added Sgt. Caroline Duval, the spokesperson who forwarded the Mounties’ response.

“In addition, there have been 142 OIC-affected firearms recorded as surrendered to a public agency for destruction since May 1, 2020.”

Before we begin attributing this to Canadians suddenly developing a sense of wisdom about personal protection and the importance of firearm ownership to one’s freedoms, it’s very possible that many are awaiting a promised buyback program that was supposed to follow the ban some time ago.

Canadian officials have stated that anyone who turns in their guns before the program begins will not receive retroactive compensation.

“If an individual or business were to relinquish a newly prohibited firearm or device before the implementation of the buyback program, they won’t be eligible for compensation once the program is announced,” the RCPM said in a statement to iPolitics. “Government officials are currently in the process of refining requirements and developing program design and implementation options for a buyback program.”

The question now is whether or not they’ll even get there. The Reload reports that the gun ban is already overpriced with consulting fees and planning for enforcement. This may be a long wait for a train that isn’t coming anyway, but even as this ban has a two-year amnesty period for a law passed early last year, the lack of Canadians getting cold feet and turning in their guns anyway isn’t a promising sign for the Trudeau administration.

The Reload points out this also places them in an extremely interesting situation.

“If a significant number do not turn in their guns over the next four months, the government will have to decide whether to take criminal action against Canadian gun owners for keeping guns they legally purchased.”

According to some gun control activists, it appears that the Canadian government has taken on too much in gun control. Gun control in America is losing ground. Despite it not working for them, Democrats keep trying to implement all bans and buyback programs that they can, as well as restrictions like Trudeau.

This issue is still a problem for authoritarians all over the world.

It is our hope that neighbors to the north realize that they don’t have as many guns as we do and that bureaucrats with little or no knowledge of how to run a country will get more power.