Halifax Regional Police Chief Don MacLean, shown in 2024, said in a statement that the force decided to participate in the gun buyback program so owners have a safe and responsible way to dispose of firearms.Cassidy McMackon/The Canadian Press
The Halifax Regional Police has agreed to participate in the federal government’s gun buyback program, making it one of only three municipal police forces to do so in Canada.
Police Chief Don MacLean said the force decided to participate so gun owners have a safe and responsible way to dispose of these firearms ahead of an October deadline. Federal officials have said people who keep their guns after that point will be breaking the law.
“We can’t ignore the reality – Nova Scotia is responding to an intimate partner violence epidemic,” Chief MacLean said in a statement. “And some of the most tragic examples of gun violence in our province were incidents of intimate partner violence and domestic abuse.”
He said he personally believes the community would benefit from having fewer guns that could end up being misused or stolen, but acknowledged there are varying views on the program.
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All participating officers will be working overtime shifts, the statement said. The federal government is providing $650,000 for operational costs, according to Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Marla MacInnis.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston’s office confirmed no provincial policing resources will be used to support the program.
“Public safety investments should focus on meaningful actions that deliver measurable results and focus on those who commit crimes, not licensed law abiding gun owners,” said spokesperson Catherine Klimek in a statement.
The federal government has banned more than 2,500 types of what it calls “assault-style” weapons since May, 2020. It’s a move that has been applauded by gun control advocates and opposed by firearms rights groups.
The Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program, which is voluntary, opened its nationwide period for gun owners to declare their interest in participating in the program last month and it runs until the end of March.
The program has faced delays and hurdles, with many provinces and territories, as well as municipal police forces, declining to participate. Despite this, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said he doesn’t anticipate any challenges and is confident it can be implemented.
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Beyond Halifax, the federal government says it has signed participation agreements with the City of Winnipeg, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, and the province of Quebec.
“Public Safety Canada is continuing productive discussions with other municipal and provincial partners to collect prohibited firearms from individuals across Canada,” department spokesperson Noémie Allard said in a statement.
Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Newfoundland and Labrador are among those that declined to participate. Alberta has invoked its Sovereignty Act to avoid enforcing federal gun restrictions, while Saskatchewan has enacted legal hurdles to gun collection.
Several municipal police forces have also refused, while Toronto Police Service spokesperson Nadine Ramadan said it requested further information to review but no “operationally viable plan was presented.”
The federal government has said that a gun declaration does not guarantee compensation, and that the applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis and accepted based on availability of program funds.
In the spring, program participants will be notified to make an appointment to drop off their guns with the RCMP, the local police or a mobile collection unit.
The Globe and Mail asked Mr. Anandasangaree’s office what happens if a gun owner lives in a place where there are no participating police forces. For example, many smaller and rural communities in Ontario rely on the provincial police force, which also declined participation.
Simon Lafortune, a spokesperson for Mr. Anandasangaree, said that the government will use mobile collection units.
“Where needed, the federal government will be collecting these weapons through Mobile Collection Units (MCUs) that will be dispatched across the country,” he said in a statement. “The decision of local police forces to not administer the collection of firearms will not prevent the federal government from collecting them through these MCUs.”
Ms. Allard said that the units will be deployed in some areas of Ontario with RCMP providing security.
“We will not be providing more information on MCUs for operational security reasons,” she said.
University of the Fraser Valley assistant professor Noah Schwartz, who studies gun policy, said the use of mobile collection units seems like “at best, an incredibly complex undertaking.”
He called the use of the units “unprecedented” and added that they would have to be pretty secure to deter thieves.
With reports from The Canadian Press