Federal gun buyback program not sitting well with licensed owners

It’s been two years since the federal government announced a ban on assault-style weapons, and Ottawa has now released its list outlining the value owners will get for their guns under its buyback program.

The proposed price list could see owners receiving anywhere from $1,100 to $6,200 for their firearms, depending on the type. But the buyback offer still isn’t sitting well with licensed gun owners.

Lance Kelsey, firearm instructor at Back-Forty Guns & Gear, said the buyback value can vary significantly between brands.

“If I buy a Norinco, I might be paying $900, but you buy an HK, or a Spikes Tactical, a Noveske, any of those, you could look at twice or three times the value of that,” Kelsey said.

The proposed buyback, Kelsey noted, doesn’t cover any of the accessories that may be added to firearms, which can cost more than the firearms in some cases.

In a media release, Public Safety Canada said the list was built to reflect what people may have paid for their firearms before March of 2020, when the ban was put in place.

Kelsey said he thinks the ban is affecting the wrong people. The government, he said, should focus on gang enforcement and those committing gun violence, because licensed owners already have to meet a lot of regulations in order to purchase and store their firearms.

“In order to have a restricted firearm – the ones they are confiscating – you have to do a minimum eight-hour course for non-restricted (firearms), which is your rifles and shotguns. Then, you have to take a four- to six-hour course after that in order to get your restricted (firearms),” he said.

Kelsey said he’s had many people tell him it’s taken up to a year just to get the licenses, and the application process is extremely detailed.

“On that license you have to have references. You have to have spouses and ex-spouses sign. They do a criminal record check on you. You are highly vetted,” he said.

“Once you get that and you buy your firearm, you’re required – here in Saskatchewan at least, some provinces are different – to be a member of a certified, legal range, and then you can go shoot your firearms that they’ve given you an authorization to transport to take to that range.”

Marco Mendicino, Canada’s minister of public safety, said assault-style rifles are meant to kill as many people as possible, and the buyback is a measure to keep communities safe.

“(Thursday’s) proposed price list represents another step towards getting these dangerous firearms out of Canadian communities while ensuring current firearms owners are compensated fairly,” Mendicino said in a statement.

Kelsey disagreed, saying licensed owners are not the ones who are committing these violent crimes. Licenced owners enjoy the sport of shooting, he said, and don’t want to throw away the time and money it took to get a license by committing a crime.

“I’m pretty sure the government, Trudeau, and the safety minister know full well that the majority of the firearm-related crimes are committed with people who do not have a valid license,” Kelsey said. “If you’re committing a crime, you don’t really care if you have a license.”

Kelsey says the latest measures from Ottawa are frustrating, because people within the shooting community essentially add more restrictions themselves to ensure they do not break any rules.

“The safety regulations on any shooting sports are fairly extreme,” Kelsey said.

“There’s zero tolerance for anybody messing around or doing anything foolish … There is no room for mistakes.”

The federal government said it welcomes opinions and insights from firearm owners until Aug. 28, and feedback can be given online.