Saskatchewan moves to support gun owners through federal buyback

Federal gun buyback aims to curb violence, but Sask. says payouts aren’t fair and plans its own legislation for firearm owners. Sierra D’Souza Butts reports.

Proposed amendments to The Saskatchewan Firearms Act aim to support gun owners as Ottawa moves forward with a national buyback program, according to the province.

Introduced into the legislature on Tuesday, the amendments propose that anyone who seizes a firearm under federal gun laws must pay the owner fair market value as determined by the Saskatchewan Firearms Office (SFO) commissioner.

Firearm owners in the province seem to be on board with the added measures.

“It’s really nice to see that the provincial government is ensuring that if these firearms are stolen from law-abiding citizens by the federal government, that they are at least compensated fairly for it,” Aaron Strauss, owner of Cache Tactical Supply, said on Wednesday.

Since the federal government’s Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP) came into effect, Strauss said his business has negatively felt the impacts.

“We’ve had to take inventory that we’ve paid for off the wall and that’s a sunk cost to a business,” he shared, referring to the list of over 2,500 prohibited firearms included in the federal policy.

Guns will be deemed “seized” in the province if the firearm is impacted by federal bans and the owner does not receive fair market compensation within 12 months of the ban coming into effect.

The amendments to the act are intended to help firearm owners while the province continues to advocate for alternatives to the federal buyback program, which it has continually opposed.

“The purposes of these amendments are to ensure that the Government of Canada would then be responsible for appropriately compensating firearms owners, lawful firearms owners, whose property has now been devalued effectively because of the plan that they’ve implemented,” Minister of Policing Tim McLeod told reporters Tuesday.

Strauss added the province’s approach helps firearm owners feel more secure about the value of their personal properties.

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“This provincial legislation will help that. If [owners] are forced to give up their firearms, at least they will be compensated fairly for it,” Strauss said.

“The federal program caps the amount of compensation and doesn’t actually guarantee that a firearms owner will get anything for the guns that are turned in. Realistically, that gives no incentive for anyone to hand over their lawfully acquired property.”

The number of firearms classified as prohibited under the Criminal Code was expanded in May 2020 following the Nova Scotia mass shooting and again in December 2024 and March 2025.

The list includes weapons that have semi-automatic action and sustained rapid-fire capability with a large magazine capacity.

Additionally, weapons with a bore diameter of 20 mm or greater and the capacity to fire a projectile with a muzzle energy greater than 10,000 joules were also prohibited.

Funding for the buyback program will be capped at $742 million and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

“They’ve made it very clear that Alberta and Saskatchewan are probably going to be on the tail end of that,” SFO commissioner Robert Freberg explained.

The legislative changes also allow the SFO to store prohibited firearms while owners await compensation.

“We’ve discovered the federal government hasn’t applied, nor have they had any of their officials apply for, any type of seizure status in Saskatchewan,” Freberg explained. “So, what that’s basically left us with a situation where law abiding firearms owners in this province don’t have a way to actually dispose of their firearms.”

Although the federal program is voluntary, Public Safety Canada’s website states, “Businesses (except those with required registration certificates and specific privileges on their licence), must dispose of or permanently deactivate their assault-style firearms before the amnesty period expires on October 30, 2026.”

If not, there will be a risk of criminal liability for the illegal possession of a prohibited firearm.

“We go through significant amount of training to get a license to own firearms,” Strauss expressed.

“This is people’s passion, their hobby. Hunting, fishing, sport shooting. You know, everyone, they love the outdoor space.”

The province’s firearms office intends to create an online portal that will provide appraisals for all firearms, ammunition and accessories impacted by federal legislation.

“We’re utilizing it for the purposes of supporting our Saskatchewan residents,” Freberg added. “And I believe other provinces are going to look at this model and want to adopt similar legislation, because the bottom line is, unless you have compensation, you’re not going to get compliance.”

In a statement, Public Safety Canada defended the buyback program and its compensation system, saying:

“Compensation amounts were determined following in-depth research including consultation with the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association, reviewing manufacturer prices, Canadian dealer and retailer prices, foreign retailer prices, pricing guidebooks and auction listings. Wherever possible manufacturer prices and Canadian retail prices were given priority.”

Additionally, the organization claimed that the compensation amounts “reasonably reflect what a business or individual may have paid for the firearms, devices and eligible parts and components (claims for parts and components are only for businesses) before 2020.”