ATIP: Just 187 businesses accounted for more than 12,000 firearms in federal buyback program
The final number of firearms actually surrendered by individual owners has not been publicly disclosed.
Newly released records obtained through the Access to Information Act show that just 187 businesses participated in the federal government's Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program, collectively claiming compensation for 12,143 prohibited firearms.
The documents, released by Public Safety Canada to Rebel News, offer one of the first detailed looks at the commercial side of Ottawa's firearms confiscation program.
The figures work out to an average of nearly 65 firearms per participating business, suggesting much of the business compensation program involved retailers and distributors disposing of prohibited inventory rather than individual gun owners surrendering personal firearms.
The federal government has previously said more than 67,000 firearms were declared by individual owners under the compensation program. However, those figures represent declarations rather than confirmed surrenders. Throughout the program, firearm owners were permitted to amend or withdraw declarations, and thousands of firearms were later removed from the program after being "undeclared."
As a result, the final number of firearms actually surrendered by individual owners has not been publicly disclosed.
The business figures indicate that commercial participants accounted for at least 15 percent of the firearms reported through the combined business and individual streams using the government's published declaration figures. Because the individual declaration total later declined, businesses may ultimately represent a larger share of the firearms actually surrendered.
The records also highlight the financial impact of the May 2020 Order in Council prohibiting hundreds of models of firearms. Many firearms retailers were left holding inventory that had been legally purchased and stocked but could no longer be sold to licensed Canadian firearms owners after the prohibition took effect.
The compensation program was created to reimburse businesses for those prohibited firearms.
The buyback program diverts billions of taxpayer dollars toward compensating licensed owners and businesses while doing little to address firearms used in violent crime, which police agencies have consistently linked primarily to illegal smuggling and organized criminal activity.
The Access to Information release provides no evidence about how many of the compensated firearms had ever been owned by private individuals. It simply confirms that 187 businesses submitted claims covering 12,143 prohibited firearms during the commercial compensation phase of the program.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
https://mybook.to/sheilaFeatured Stories
COMMENTS
-
Fran g commented 2026-08-07 13:22:20 -0400Also please mention that all these small businesses were destroyed. Closing small businesses are just another way to destroy Canada that liberals are purposely promoting. -
Hugh Jacobs commented 2026-08-06 13:01:17 -0400👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍
-
Bruce Atchison commented 2026-08-05 19:44:52 -0400The lunatic gun-grabbers just won’t give up. They spin facts to make it look like everybody is handing in their guns when it’s mostly businesses selling off their stock at a discount.
