Airdrie-Banff Member of Parliament Blake Richards shared his thoughts on the federal firearms confiscation plan that is going ahead.

It was recently announced later this year the plan will be put into motion.

"There are two phases to it, this first phase seems to be where they'll go about with the confiscation of the weapons that are in stores and buy the stock that retailers still have," explained Richards. 

A set date for phase one is still unknown. The reason for these confiscations is due to Canada’s 2020 rifle ban. 

The province of Alberta has shared its own thoughts on the confiscation program and created an Alberta Firearms Act. So far, two actions have been taken, those include:

  • The Alberta Firearms Act requires that all persons and organizations, including law enforcement, obtain a license from the province before possessing a firearm.
  • Prohibiting communities and police from making unilateral arrangements with the federal government.

“From the beginning, it has been evident that the federal government’s initiatives on firearms have had nothing to do with public safety. This proposed confiscation program is no exception. At a time when crime rates are skyrocketing across the country, the federal government has chosen to target firearms used for hunting and sport shooting, instead of firearms used for illegal purposes," explained Alberta Chief Firearms Officer Teri Bryant.

Bryant also stated Alberta continues to call on the federal government to reverse its punitive measures against the firearms community and allow businesses to sell their inventory to carefully vetted Canadians.

Richards also believes this program is targeting the wrong people overall,

"The problem is gangs and gun smugglers, that's where the gun crime comes from in this country. This does nothing to address any of that. But it's instead, punishing law-abiding firearms owners."

Phase two of the program would be to shift the program’s focus to individual gun owners.

Richards said he does agree with the stance of the provincial government to not have the focus be on responsible gun owners.

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