(OTTAWA) Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the federal government is “looking at various options” to proceed with the planned buyback of banned firearms, including seeking outside help.
Canadian police chiefs have urged the Liberal government not to rely on police forces to frame this upcoming takeover, as they are already limited in their resources.
In May 2020, the government had announced the banning by decree of more than 1,500 models and variants of what it considers to be assault firearms, such as the AR-15 and the Ruger Mini-14.
He pointed out that these guns were designed to kill people and had no place in hunting or sport shooting.
The proposed buy-back program would require owners to sell these firearms to Canadian authorities, or otherwise render them unusable at federal government expense.
In an interview, Mendicino said the program would involve police, adding that Ottawa is also working with industry leaders, other levels of government and “potential third parties.”