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By Liam Verster

$1B Spent On Program

Vernon MP calling out gun buyback costs, effectiveness

Mar 20, 2026 | 12:50 PM

The Member of Parliament for Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee said that the government’s gun buyback program has been a failure.

Quoting Daniel Fritter, a contributor to Calibre Magazine, Scott Anderson said on a social media post that the federal firearm buyback program had crested the $1-billion mark after six years.

“According to their 2026-2027 Departmental Plan, Public Safety Canada has earmarked $145.1M in spending for the 2026-2027 fiscal year in support of the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP),” Anderson wrote, expanding to explain where those funds were going.

He claimed there was $64.8-million in expected compensation for those businesses and individuals participating in the compensation program; $28.8-million in transfers to other entities supporting the delivery of the ASFCP; and $51.5-million in operating and administrative costs. He also said the department planned to budget another $3.6-million for the program during it’s forecasted sunset period through the ’27-’28 fiscal year.

Anderson stated that, despite the government spending, the ASFCP had resulted in roughly 42,000 firearms being bought back from private owners, which he stated was about two to four per cent participation rate. Comparatively, the MP said the previous Long Gun Registry program had a compliance rate of 50 per cent, and that rate was considered a failure and a key contributor to that program folding.

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In addition to pushing back against the costs and effectiveness of the ASFCP, Anderson said “crime is committed by criminals, not firearms,” and that confiscating legally purchased firearms could be comparable to the government taking away people’s downhill skis because they could be considered dangerous and unneeded.