Brantford, Ont., police won’t collect assault weapons for federal gun buyback program

The Brantford Police Service says it won’t participate in collecting assault weapons from the public as part of the federal government’s gun buyback program.

“We will not be participating in the program and will not be offering firearm collection or storage appointments as part of the federal initiative,” says a release the service issued Monday. “The program is being administered at the federal level, and participation by local police services is not mandated.”

Brantford police say they will continue to prioritize frontline policing, “including emergency response, criminal investigations, crime prevention, and victim support services. These priorities remain central to ensuring community safety and effective law enforcement within the City of Brantford.”

CBC Hamilton asked police services in Hamilton, Niagara and Halton Region whether they plan to participate but has not received responses.

Since 2020, Ottawa has banned about 2,500 makes and models of what the federal government calls “assault-style” firearms, arguing they are designed for warfare — not for hunting or sport shooting. Now, the Assault-Style Firearm Compensation Program is offering compensation for those who register and hand over their banned weapons.

Canadians have until March 31 to declare their interest in participating in order to receive compensation. Beyond that, no compensation will be offered, while possessing such firearms will remain illegal.

Gun owners can file declarations through the program’s online portal or through the mail. To get a mail-in form, applicants must contact the program directly. The portal also contains a list of the weapons covered by the ban.

“Owners must safely dispose of or permanently deactivate their assault-style firearms before the amnesty period ends on October 30, 2026, or risk criminal liability for the illegal possession of a prohibited firearm,” states the website.

Compensation payments will be issued within 45 business days of a successful validation of the outlawed firearm. The pool of funding is $248.6 million, which will pay for about 136,000 outlawed firearms. Compensation will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date the declaration is submitted and the availability of program funds at that time.

The federal government has said there are 19,000 non-restricted makes and models of guns remaining that can be used for hunting.

The buyback program has faced opposition from some gun owners and the Conservative Party of Canada — who have argued the federal government is punishing law-abiding gun owners with a policy that won’t make Canada safer. 

The governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Yukon have expressed opposition to the program. On Monday, Yukon justice minister Laura Lang told CBC’s As it Happens that the ban shows the federal government doesn’t understand the northern way of life, and that people in remote areas feel comfortable having assault weapons to protect themselves from dangers such as bears.

“There’s a wide range of types of guns that are used depending on how we are interacting with the land,” she said. “[If] you come across a bear, it’s a very different type of gun than you would use hunting a moose.”

Meanwhile, anti-gun advocates say the program offers a valuable way to get assault weapons out of circulation.

Ken Price, a spokesperson for Toronto organization Danforth Families for Safe Communities, told CBC Toronto he believes police should get on board.

“I think it’s in their interest to help gun owners come into compliance with the law. The federal government is trying to do this in an orderly way,” said Price, whose organization was formed after a mass shooting on the Danforth in 2018. His daughter is a survivor of the shooting.

“We feel good about the program, where it is, it should go forward and we think the federal government is doing the right thing.”