Withdrew from the ASFCP / Retiré du PIAFSAA

[u/Lima-TCX]

I've withdrawn from the ASFCP, and wanted to share my experience about it for anyone else considering doing the same.

Why I registered back in January:

Not looking to make excuses, just giving some context around my situation, and why I made my initial decision:

- I had two non-registered firearms affected, both were due for compensation at more or less the exact pre-tax value I purchased them for.

- I am a Québec resident, and therefore, due to the Register, the government already knew what I had.

- Also being a Québec resident, I knew I was more guaranteed than not, to actually receive the compensation.

- I was planning to use the proceeds from my reimbursement to purchase further available firearms. (I ended up purchasing two for each one banned to 'make up for it'.)

- I had also figured that in the event of a class-action lawsuit, having registered may have been a pre-requisite to claim damages.

- I was planning to paint my rifles pink before turning them in, and covering both of them with '♥ Nathalie' in white ink, to deny them any chance of a photo-opp.

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Why I decided to Withdraw:

I originally registered in a panic when it opened up, especially as I could have really used the money. Since then however, over the months that have passed, I've been feeling incredibly guilty and regretful in my decision to take part in this. I was also hugely inspired by hearing the numbers they published, and how many people had held strong in solidarity.

Additionally, and one of the most important factors; the behaviour of Nathalie Provost during the last press conference was absolutely disgraceful. She has absolutely no place in government. That ended up being the last straw for me, especially the part where she started yelling at us to 'do our civic duty'.

So Nathalie, if you're reading this, well done; you pushed me to do my actual civic duty.

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How the Withdrawal Process Went:

- I called 1-833-759-4551, selected English, and had to go through a couple robo-navigation options.

- I was first in line, and was connected to an agent within less than 1 minute.

- Upon learning of the reason for my call, the agent asked me what the reason for my withdrawal was, to which I explained it was Nathalie Provost's fault, and was withdrawing as a form of protest.

- Following that, I was simply asked for my PAL #, my name, DoB, and email address.

The agent then went away for a couple minutes, and returned to basically take me through the 'things I should know' which included (to the best of my note-taking abilities):

- My case will be moved to 'inactive', but it will not be purged from the system. However, it will be destroyed after 2 years.

- Previously-submitted information may be accessed for monitoring and tracking.

- Withdrawal doesn't mean I don't have to turn them in.

- They can be de-activated or destroyed outside of the programme.

- If the government comes asking me about my firearms, withdrawal doesn't mean I am exempt from cooperating with them.

- If my firearms are used in criminal activity, they may be traced back to me.

Once I agreed to all of this, he then left for a second very short hold of a couple min, and then returned to inform me that I can expect to receive a phone call from a representative from Public Safety Canada within 10 days to discuss further, and he gave me a case number to use with them.

He then asked me which province I was calling from, and that was the end of the call.

I timed it from start to finish, it only took 13 minutes total.

The agent was absolutely lovely, super professional -- overall really a 10/10 experience on that front.

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Conclusion

If you are in a similar position to me, please consider doing so; its not too late! It was a genuinely super easy and painless process.

The prospect of losing the cash hurts, but what hurt more was, over the past months, knowing I didn't do the right thing.

With the absolutely catastrophic participation, and the upcoming Supreme Court Challenge, we have a better chance than ever.

In any case, no matter what happens, see y'all at the range. 🍁

[u/Late_Winner6859]

Personally, I'd also mention compensation being unfairly low (and that's before magazines, accessories, tooling, and opportunity cost of money over several years). Plus the fact that it is not even guaranteed. Multiplied by obscure timeline of when and how you would be receiving it (aka very badly organized program).

They need to realize how insanely expensive this mess is going to be for them. And it would only be getting worse, the longer they drag it out

[u/Lima-TCX → u/Late_Winner6859]

This is a really good point, because this was one of the things they pledged from the start, and then completely broke their promise on.
What's a bit tricky however, is that in my specific case, I was going to be fairly compensated, so I will probably keep my messaging to them laser focused.

This is absolutely something someone else withdrawing, and who is heavily affected by this aspect should bring up though. Because you're completely right, it is likely a huge factor in non-compliance. TBH beyond fair price, and beyond accessories, I also still can't get over the "compensation is not guaranteed". It's just unreal.

[u/Late_Winner6859 → u/Lima-TCX]

That’s reasonable, sure. Though didn’t you mention “pre-tax price”? It’s not fair then, since you were still losing money. You should be “made whole” for it to be fair.

*The argument that it is now a used gun is invalid, since you are not selling it on the used market. Instead, you are having it “bought back” (in their own words), which implies a full reimbursement of your costs

[u/Lima-TCX → u/Late_Winner6859]

Yeah :/ the 'tax spent' on each not being included in the compensation, is also a bit of a slap. But also one of the more minor elements compared to much higher costs like ammo bought for the rifle, bespoke accessories, etc.. I don't disagree with you at all, just a question of picking battles for maximum impact.