The federal Liberal government has announced that it will extend the amnesty period on guns that were prohibited following the Nova Scotia shooting rampage in 2020. The amnesty period, which was set to end this month, will now continue until October 30, 2025.
Public Safety Canada made the update on their website regarding the firearms buyback program. The amnesty applies to owners of more than 1,500 models of guns that were banned by the government. These firearms, categorized as “assault-style,” including the AR-15, were deemed inappropriate for communities.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the ban in May 2020, shortly after the tragic Nova Scotia shooting incident, which was the deadliest mass shooting in modern Canadian history. The Liberals had promised to compensate firearm owners through a buyback program, which was estimated to cost around $750 million by the parliamentary budget officer in 2021.
The amnesty order was initially scheduled to expire in the spring of 2022. However, the Liberals extended it until this October due to ongoing development of the buyback program.
In April, former public safety minister Marco Mendicino announced that the department was starting to work on the initial phase of the buyback program, particularly focusing on compensation for retailers. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s spokesperson, Jean-Sebastien Comeau, stated in an email that the government is committed to implementing a firearms buyback program that allows law-abiding gun owners to surrender their firearms and receive compensation. While the program is being developed, the amnesty order has been extended until October 30, 2025.
During the 2019 federal election, Trudeau made a promise to ban what the Liberals referred to as “military-style assault” firearms and establish a buyback program, which contributed to his winning a second mandate. The liberals made a similar promise during their 2021 election campaign. The fixed date for the next federal contest is October 20, 2025, as per elections law, but an election could be called before that date.
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