By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
The Western Standard in Canada is reporting that the Yukon government has “formally stated it will not participate in the federal mandatory firearms buyback program,” a government gun control effort launched in Ottawa which critics traditionally refer to as “compensated confiscation.”
The announcement increases attention on a conflict north of the border, and clearly belies claims that Canadians support government gun control. The Yukon government position was confirmed during what the Western Standard called the “Speech from the Throne,” which was delivered by Commissioner Angélique Bernard. She said the Yukon government will “support the rights of legal gun owners in this territory,” the news agency said.
This position underscores the Yukon government’s “continued recognition of vetted firearms ownership, hunting traditions, and cultural rights,” the Western Standard explained.
The problem with this mandatory buyback, the news agency revealed, is that “compliance has remained below one percent in preliminary reporting.”
Essentially, Canada’s government launched the buyback—an offshoot of a gun ban enacted in 2020 which prohibits more than 2,500 various makes and models of guns—and virtually nobody is going along with it.
The National Post recently revealed that a panel of experts issued a report saying the government “appears to have ignored parts of (the panel’s) advice” relating to “certain makes” of SKS semi-auto rifles, which are popular in Indigenous communities for hunting. Many older SKS rifles have fixed magazines, while newer versions have detachable magazines. It is the guns with detachable magazines the government wants to restrict.
According to the National Post, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree “repeatedly told the Commons Security committee that he was awaiting advice from an “expert panel” before deciding if the government would ban the purchase or sale of SKS semi-automatic rifles.”
Canada does not have an equivalent of the United States’ Second Amendment, which would give leverage to Canadian gun rights advocates. Rod Giltaca, executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights, appeared on the Global News and called the buyback a “boondoggle” which would not prevent crime.
The National Post said Giltaca corresponded via email to declare the government “continues to grossly mislead Canadians about the types of firearms that are being banned and the reasons for their prohibition.”
