Quebec gets federal money to support gun buy-back plan
Announcement part of national rollout of program to collect banned assault-style weapons
The federal government is giving the Quebec government $12.4 million to support the co-ordination and collection of an assault-style weapons buy-back plan in the province. Here, a member of the U.S. Navy fires an M16 rifle during a weapons exercise in 2011. (File courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
The federal government is giving the Quebec government $12.4 million for the creation of an “assault-style firearms” compensation program.
Assault-style firearms are considered rapid-fire, high-capacity, high-calibre weapons typically used in warfare, but which have been used in several high-profile mass shootings. The American M-16 and Russian AK-47 are two examples.
The Trudeau government introduced an assault-style firearms ban in May 2020, including an amnesty period and gun buy-back plan.
This federal funding will help Quebec cover the costs of co-ordinating and collecting banned firearms from residents in the province, a news release from the Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.
Previously, the federal government maintained a nationwide buy-back program for businesses, which ended April 30, 2025. More than $22 million in compensation was paid out and over 12,000 prohibited firearms were collected.
The Quebec announcement begins the buy-back program for individuals. The federal government will roll out the individual buy-back program across the country in the coming weeks, the release said.
The federal government maintains a database of over 2,500 assault-style firearms listed under the ban for individuals, with a corresponding compensation price set by the government for each weapon.
The amnesty period ends Oct. 30. People with banned firearms after that date will be breaking the law.
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