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The Newfoundland and Labrador government says it won’t be participating in the federal government’s gun buyback program, saying it doesn’t align with its public safety priorities.
Speaking with reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, Premier Tony Wakeham said he believes the program isn’t right for the province and wants to see resources allocated elsewhere.
Wakeham specifically cited how the rules could impact hunters.
“There’s lots of things that I agree with the current government on and the prime minister on, but that’s not one of them,” Wakeham said.
WATCH | N.L. is opting out of the controversial federal program:
Canada should focus on real issues of crime, Wakeham says as N.L. opts out of gun buyback program
Newfoundland and Labrador became the sixth province to opt out of the controversial firearms buyback program, but questions remain about what it could mean for owners of assault-style weapons in the province. The CBC’s Maddie Ryan reports.
“In my opinion, we need to focus on the real issues on gun control. We need to focus on the real issues of crime. And, you know, for Newfoundland and Labrador, hunting is part of our life. To be able to live off the land is part of our life, and I do not want to see that impeded in any way.”
The plan offers assault-style firearms owners the opportunity to receive compensation for turning in outlawed weapons. The federal government has banned about 2,500 makes and models of weapons it says are designed for warfare and not hunting or sport.
Earlier this month, federal officials said the pool of funding for the buyback program was $248.6 million, which lets government pay for around 136,000 outlawed weapons to be voluntary turned in.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the provincial government questioned the program’s practicality, the strain it could have on policing resources and whether or not the impact would be meaningful for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
Newfoundland and Labrador is the sixth provincial or territorial government to choose not to participate, alongside Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
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