With just a week remaining in Canada’s Prohibited Weapons Purchase Program, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangary noted that police will begin a door-to-door effort to collect firearms during the spring and summer.
In a video exchange, Mr. Anandasangari responded to Mr. Dane Lloyd, MP, who raised concerns about the low declaration rates among firearm owners. Lloyd pointed out that only 2.5 percent of an estimated two million firearms had been declared by owners, leaving 98 percent unreported as the deadline approached. He asked, “So, if you haven’t declared by next week, Minister, what’s the plan?”
While Anandasangaree questioned the accuracy of Lloyd’s figures, he did suggest police be involved in seizing undeclared firearms. “We aim to finalize the registration by March 31st. Following that, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other agencies will carry out recovery operations throughout spring and summer,” he stated.
Lloyd responded by highlighting the RCMP’s current staffing challenges, attributing them to rising violent crime in Canada. He inquired whether the minister intended to place additional burdens on the RCMP by having them conduct door-to-door searches and confiscate firearms.
Anandasangaree clarified that he did not wish to use existing RCMP resources for this task. Instead, he proposed utilizing “off-duty officers or those nearing retirement… to clarify, we’re not reallocating current police resources.”
Lloyd expressed his apprehension about a door-to-door initiative, citing that many police departments across the country are unwilling to participate in this program.
CTV News reported that since May 2020, the federal government has prohibited around 2,500 types of firearms classified as “assault-style.” Additionally, the NRA-ILA indicated that Canadian gun owners have until the end of March 2026 to declare their possession of prohibited firearms, after which a recovery process will commence.
