More than 15,000 firearms were declared in B.C. – the second-highest in the country – as part of the federal buyback program that ended Tuesday.
Public Safety Canada provided the update Wednesday (April 1), the day after the program ended, noting that more than 67,000 assault-style firearms were declared nationwide by 37,869 owners. The program opened on Jan. 19.
In B.C., 15,600 firearms were declared – the second highest number in the country.
Across the country, the numbers differed: Yukon declared 134; Northwest Territories declared 81; Nunavut declared fewer than 10; Alberta declared 7,334; Saskatchewan declared 1,255; Manitoba declared 2,442; Ontario declared the most at 27,487; Quebec declared 9,801; New Brunswick declared 1,150; Nova Scotia declared 1,702; Prince Edward Island declared 170; and Newfoundland and Labrador declared 484.
Public Safety Canada says that as of Tuesday, firearms owners with prohibited firearms no longer have the option to come forward to seek compensation through the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program.
The program will continue to complete declarations for: firearm owners who have opened a case with the program prior to the end of the declaration period and for Canadian Armed Forces members and law enforcement officers deployed outside the country.
The federal government says that beginning in April, the program will assess declarations submitted by firearms owners.
Participants will be contacted directly by the program through the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program online portal, or by phone or mail, if they filled out a paper declaration, for instructions on how to finalize their claims, permanently deactivate, or make an appointment to turn in their firearms for compensation.
The collection and compensation portion of the process is expected to run from spring until early fall 2026 in various parts of the country. Compensation runs anywhere from $150 to thousands of dollars, in some cases.
RCMP, local police or secured mobile collection units will oversee the collection of the firearms.
However, not all provinces mandate police detachments to participate in the collection process.
Alberta has refused to support or enforce the program.
B.C. is allowing independent municipal police departments to determine “whether and how they participate,” and if they choose to participate, funding will be provided by the federal government.
There are 12 municipal police forces in B.C., including in Vancouver, Victoria and Surrey. If those local forces do not participate in the program, the RCMP will administer collection efforts.
Public Safety Canada added that while participation in the compensation program is voluntary, “compliance with the law is not.”
“Individuals who did not declare their prohibited firearms during the declaration period must dispose of or permanently deactivate them before the amnesty period ends on October 30, 2026,” the news release from Wednesday adds.
– With files from Mark Page