Gary Anandasangaree announces government gun buyback program

Canada's Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has announced the launch of the government's gun buyback program. Anandasangaree said that starting Tuesday, the government is launching a voluntary gun buyback program with a pilot project in Nova Scotia and it will be fully implemented after the fall.

The minister said that we are serious about removing assault-style weapons from our communities and they have no place in Canada. In May 2020, the Canadian government declared about 2,500 types of guns illegal as part of a strategy to combat gun violence.

The Public Safety Minister said that they were designed for use on the battlefield, not for hunters and sport shooters. He specifically mentioned the AR15.

At a news conference on Parliament Hill, Anandasangaree clarified that the program is still voluntary and no one's weapons are being confiscated. He said that people who use rifles for hunting can still do so with a hunting rifle.