r/canadaguns • u/AutoModerator • May 25 '26
Recurring Canadaguns Politics and Debate Thread
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u/YourSnipingOperator Jun 04 '26
Throwaway account for obvious reasons.
Im a cop and participated in the buyback with my restricteds (did not declare any of many former NRs). Do not shoot the messenger for what Im about to say as my opinions are purely expressed to inform you and not sugarcoat or provide copium. For the record Ive been a gun owner much longer than a cop and own far more non restricted non-cope rifles than you would imagine (to the detriment of my finances) and joined the CCFR in its infancy. Here's a few things I'll comment on:
The participants generally seem to be older gen x/boomer types, or other law enforcement professionals (think Corrections/Sheriffs/etc) who arent exactly in a position to be keeping a registered prohibited firearm on paper and thus committing an offense. Myself and other colleagues have theorized that at least in the RCMP, there will be a chance that once the amnesty is up they will start doing Code of Conducts on Members that didnt comply as the Commissioner is a yes-man for the Liberals. They will make sure that the firearms registry is provided for this purpose in a lawful way to do this so that they don't get in shit down the road for it. Even if they do, consequences evidently dont apply to Liberal yes-men.
In spite of that, there are tons of cops that arent participating at all, but in those cases they only have NRs that are now prohibited. Can't say Ive spoken to one yet with a registered restricted that didnt sign up to turn it in. These cops are just going to stay quiet and never give up what they have as there is no proof anywhere that they have it. I wont provide legal advice but take away from that what you will.
Cops are not going door to door, even if asked. It is also a monumental task to perform while already short staffed. There are many simpler enforcement mechanisms that I will comment on later.
In my opinion, and this is in spite of the CCFR case, those with restricteds are completely fucked if they didn't participate in the buyback. This government has shown time and time again that it will continue to be spiteful to gun owners, and anyone who had a registered restricted is a slam dunk target. The only thing I can see happening is that there is a 2nd round of the buyback opening back up due to not having enough participation in the 1st round, in which case that will likely be the final offramp for those with anything registered to their name.
In regards to point 4, I see the following, very realistic scenarios playing out by the end of the amnesty, regardless if it is extended, and I'll order them from most to least likely. To be frank, I do not believe the CCFR case will make a material difference as the Liberals can and will codify the OICs into law if need be.
Option A: Anyone with a registered restricted who has not either deactivated/turned in/destroyed it will receive a threatening letter from the CFO/RCMP and will face a PAL revocation after Oct 31st. At that point you'll have no leg to stand on and will have to surrender your firearms. In this case, Police can and may go so far as to obtain a search warrant based off the evidence that you are in illegal possession of X gun bearing X serial number. If that amount of effort is being put in, you would be catching a possession charge too.
For anyone that owns a handgun, they will likely fold the second they receive that letter as theyll otherwise lose their handguns too. You now receive no compensation for what you turned in.
I strongly believe this option is the most likely as it does the most damage to gun owners while the government has to do very little, and at this point spend even less. The government was more than happy to see non-compliance on the part of registered restricted owners because they will provide the perfect whipping boys. Revoking your PAL is very easy and doesnt require anyone to go door to door. Enforcement of course is a different matter.
Option B: The amnesty gets extended another year because uptake wasnt what they wanted. Maybe a 2nd buyback round gets initiated. Then after that, Option A occurs after that.
Option C: Grandfathering without usage, just like all the boomers with 12(x) on their PALs. This isnt a win for you either, because now that all the boomers are dying and the government codified no longer passing down the 12(x) endorsements to family, those guns usually just get destroyed or sold to businesses/auctions for pennys on the dollar. It is the least enjoyable part of my job to go to these homes after a boomer passes away, seeing incredible collections, and then it ends up that the family or wife want nothing to do with the guns despite me offering to assist them with other methods that don't include destruction.
Yes, theres a chance that by next election the Liberals are out and maybe in 3 years youll be able to use them again. However, in my opinion, you need to act and prepare for what the reality is now and what it likely will be next election, which is that as long as the Liberals remain in power, gun owners will not see any relenting on the Liberals part to stop their repeated abuse.
I would rather be a PAL holder that has zero registered guns to their name, and ride this government out until they are gone.
Again, please do not shoot the messenger. I do not support the bans, the buyback, or anything else related to them from a moral point of view.