End firearm confiscation program
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to end the national firearm confiscation program and redirect its funding and efforts toward targeting criminals and illegal firearm smuggling.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would end a costly program petitioners say is ineffective and free funds to prioritize law enforcement against criminals and illegal firearm smuggling.
- Petitioners cite the Cape Breton pilot's limited results (25 firearms seized) and local cost as evidence the approach lacks efficiency.
- They note that multiple provincial premiers and major police organizations oppose the program, suggesting limited political and operational support for it.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Scrapping the program could remove a tool for removing prohibited firearms, creating enforcement gaps if replacement measures are not fully established.
- Dismantling federal action may still incur substantial legal and administrative costs, including resolving compensation claims for licensed owners.
- Opposition from some provinces and police may reflect implementation problems rather than program goals, so cancellation could discard useful elements.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA WHEREAS The firearm confiscation pilot program in Cape Breton only collected 25 firearms from 16 people and costing taxpayers $150,000. Premiers from Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador alongside Canada's largest police organizations have been clear they do not support this failing program. With a nearly $1 billion price tag, only $242 million, nearly a third of the program is going to compensate licensed firearms owners, while the rest goes to bureaucracy. THEREFORE We, the undersigned citizens and permanent residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to end its assault on law- abiding firearms-owners by scrapping the massively expensive and ineffective firearm confiscation program and focus its attention and resources towards criminals and illegal-firearm smuggling.
Government response
No government response is available yet.