The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) announced they will participate in the federal government’s buyback initiative for assault-style rifles this year, but a local MP stated she “can’t get behind this decision.”
On Friday, WRPS confirmed it has signed an agreement with Public Safety Canada to join the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program.
The federal government has prohibited over 2,500 types and models of assault-style firearms since May 2020. This program allows owners to safely dispose of or deactivate these firearms before the amnesty period concludes on Oct. 30.
As of March 19, more than 19,000 assault-style firearms have been reported in Ontario, according to the Canadian government’s website.
Meanwhile, Kitchener-Centre Conservative MP Kelly De Ridder claimed the federal program has “failed to deliver results” and that “law-abiding gun owners are not the ones making our streets unsafe.”
“At a time when violent crime is rising and our justice system is a revolving door, choosing to target responsible citizens instead of the real sources of danger is not just misguided, it’s a distraction from the hard work that actually needs to be done,” she said in a statement.
The federal buyback initiative has encountered pushback from some gun owners and the Conservative Party, who argue that law-abiding gun owners are being unfairly penalized by a policy that won’t enhance safety in Canada.
The provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Yukon have also shown opposition to the program.
WRPS Police Chief Mark Crowell stated in a statement that police have “a duty to uphold the law and reduce the overall presence of illegal firearms in our community.”
“While we will continue to prioritize reducing violent crime, holding violent offenders accountable, and removing illegal firearms locally, the [program] provides a safe and responsible location for gun owners to dispose of their prohibited firearms ahead of the federal deadline,” he said.
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Other Ontario police services not taking part
Police services aren’t required to participate in the buyback program; several across Ontario-including Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-have already opted out. “The OPP does not have the capacity to collect all ‘assault-style’ firearms in the province,” OPP spokesperson Gosia Puzio mentioned in an email to at the end of January. Guelph Police Service also announced it would not participate in this federal program but will continue accepting prohibited firearms without providing compensation. “The Guelph Police Service is committed to continuing its proactive efforts to reduce gun violence and protect the public by working with its policing partners locally, provincially and federally,” they stated on their website. Police departments in Windsor, Brantford, Toronto, Sudbury and Thunder Bay have also chosen not to join this initiative. Ken Price from Danforth Families for Safe Communities told back in January that he believes police services should support this effort. “I think it’s in their interest to help gun owners come into compliance with the law. The federal government is trying to do this in an orderly way,” said Price whose organization was formed after a mass shooting on Danforth Avenue back in 2018 where his daughter survived. “We feel good aboutthe program; it should go forwardand we thinkthe federal governmentis doing theright thing.”Source link
