Liberal gun grab begins today: report your firearms or face criminal charges

The Liberal government’s national gun confiscation program officially begins today, starting a countdown for millions of licensed firearm owners.

Source: X.com

The Liberal government’s national gun confiscation program officially begins today, starting a countdown for millions of licensed firearm owners. Law-abiding citizens now have a few short months to declare legally-obtained firearms that Ottawa has outlawed or potentially face criminal charges.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced the “Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP) over the weekend. He confirmed gun owners who fail to declare their firearms by March 31, 2026, will be considered in violation of the law once the amnesty period expires.

The nationwide program was announced after a late-2025 pilot project in Cape Breton only collected 25 guns from 16 people, despite a significant government publicity campaign.

Those who fail to report their legally obtained firearms risk losing their Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) and could face criminal liability once the amnesty period expires.

The Liberal government banned more than 2,500 makes and models of firearms it labels “assault-style” nearly five years ago, despite most having been legally owned, registered and never used in crimes.

“Assault-style firearms do not belong in our communities,” Anandasangaree said at a press conference in Quebec. “These types of firearms were designed as weapons of war. Prohibiting and removing them from our communities is an important part of our government’s commitment to tackling gun violence and keeping Canadians safe.”

He urged owners to declare their firearms to seek compensation, adding: “While participation is voluntary, abiding by the law is not.”

The program’s declaration phase begins Monday. Ottawa plans to contact over two million PAL holders, urging licensed firearm owners to declare their now-contraband firearms through an online portal or by mail “to ensure they receive compensation.”

The federal government allocated almost $250 million to compensate firearm owners for handing in the weapons, but said compensation was not guaranteed. The Liberals anticipate the cost will allow the “buy back” of about 136,000 firearms.

While the government initially suggested a cost of around $200 million for the program, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) later estimated it could reach $750 million or more. Some critics argue that once administrative and policing costs are factored in, the true price tag could exceed $2 billion.

After the declaration period, “eligible participants” are required to schedule an appointment for collection by the RCMP, police of jurisdiction or a “mobile collection unit” to be validated and destroyed.

“All owners who do not participate in the program must dispose of or permanently deactivate their prohibited firearms and devices before the amnesty period ends on October 30, 2026,” the federal announcement said. “Owners in possession of a prohibited firearm or device following this date will be non-compliant with legislation and could face the loss of their PAL, as well as criminal liability.”

Anandasangaree said over 2,000 firearms a year are stolen from legal firearms owners and “could be used in mass shootings.”

Firearm rights advocates criticized the program, and provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have formally refused to allow provincial police resources to be used for it.

Tracy Wilson of the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights accused the government of targeting lawful owners instead of addressing firearm theft and violent crime.

She noted the compensation fund would cover only a fraction of affected owners, leaving many to surrender thousands of dollars’ worth of property for free or face criminalization.

“They want it to fail,” Wilson said.

Rod Giltaca, CEO of the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights, called the plan “as evil as anyone ever thought it would be” in a post on X, warning that owners could be forced to compete for insufficient compensation, potentially receive nothing, and still face police enforcement.

Conservative MP Blaine Calkins also condemned the program, accusing the Liberals of ignoring organized crime, gun smuggling and repeat violent offenders in favour of “punishing law-abiding citizens” with “no public safety benefit.”

Calkins vowed that Conservatives would scrap the program and refocus enforcement on repeat offenders and border smuggling.