Last Updated on September 28, 2022
The Canadian province of Alberta will not comply with federal gun control laws and potential confiscation, according to Justice Minister Tyler Shandro. Since May 2020, Justin Trudeau’s government has prohibited more than 1,500 different models of “assault-style” firearms from being used or sold in Canada, CBC reported. To this point, the federal government has set up a buyback program, but confiscation of outstanding weapons is expected soon.
Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro said he received a letter from Canada’s ministry of public safety asking for police resources to begin confiscating firearms starting this fall. In response, Shandro said that Alberta will not agree to having Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers act as confiscation agents. He also vowed to protest any confiscation measures under the provincial-federal agreement that concerns policing.
“Alberta taxpayers pay over $750 million per year for the RCMP and we will not tolerate taking officers off the streets in order to confiscate the property of law-abiding firearms owners,” Shandro said during a press conference in Calgary.
Alberta also plans to seek intervener status in six ongoing judicial review applications challenging the constitutionality of the legislation, according to CBC.
Marco Medicino, who serves as Canada’s minister of public safety, condemned Alberta’s refusal to comply and claimed that the buyback will cut down on gun crime. “It’s very disappointing that Alberta has put out their statement before seeing the full plan,” said Medicino’s press secretary, Audrey Champoux.
Shandro’s proposal has found plenty of support in the province, however, including that of Alberta’s chief firearms officer, Teri Bryant.
“I have previously expressed strong opposition to the federal government’s plans to prohibit and confiscate some 30,000 lawfully acquired firearms from Albertans,” Bryant said. “The planned confiscations represent a fatal approach to reducing violence in Canadian society and are unwarranted and unacceptable infringements on the property rights and personal freedoms of Albertans.”
Canada moved to prohibit the sale of handguns earlier this year in an expansion of its earlier moves against rifles. Self-defense is not a valid reason for obtaining a firearms permit in Canada.
