Feds outlaw another 324 firearm varieties and may donate them to Ukraine

The Liberal government has outlawed another 324 firearm varieties — guns it says belong on the battlefield, not in the hands of hunters or sport shooters.

The move follows the May 2020 ban of 1,500 makes and models of firearms, including the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14. The number grew to more than 2,000 by November of this year as new variants were identified. 

The federal prohibition of hundreds more was announced Thursday after expressions of concern from gun-control advocates that many assault-style firearms were not covered by the 2020 ban.

The measure came on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the murder of 14 women by a gunman armed with a Ruger Mini-14 at the École Polytechnique in Montreal. 

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc called the Polytechnique shooting a dark chapter that affected a generation.

"Our goal is to ensure that no community, no family, is devastated by mass shootings in Canada again," LeBlanc told a news conference.

The federal government says it is working with provinces, territories and police on a planned buyback of prohibited weapons from individual owners. It has already run a pilot project on collecting banned firearms from businesses.

Ottawa also says it has committed to the Ukrainian government to work with firearm businesses and identify how these guns could support the fight against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

"Every bit of assistance that we can offer to the Ukrainians is one step towards their victory, and a worthwhile investment of our collective time and efforts," Defence Minister Bill Blair said at the news conference.

Groups pushing for stronger gun control applauded the government's announcement.

PolySeSouvient spokeswoman Nathalie Provost, who was wounded in the 1989 massacre, said, "I'm crying, but I'm also smiling because it's an important step forward, and I really believe that what remains to be done will be done."

Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns added: "Guns that can injure and kill many people in mere moments have no place in our society." 

Conservative MPs and some gun owners have vehemently opposed the Liberal efforts to ban certain firearms as an attack on law-abiding citizens.

Tory public safety critic Raquel Dancho said the latest move was an attack on "lawful and vetted hunters, sport shooters, and Indigenous Peoples who safely and legally use firearms as they have done for generations." 

The Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights said the announcement was typical Liberal party "divide and conquer" politics. "They know they are out of time and Canadians are out of money."

Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery said the provincial government strongly opposes "the arbitrary reclassification of firearms and the federal government's wasteful, ineffective, and repeatedly delayed program to confiscate these firearms."

The newly banned firearms share the same technical characteristics as those prohibited in May 2020. 

It means they can no longer be legally used or sold in Canada, and can be transferred or transported only under limited circumstances. 

Following the May 2020 prohibition, an amnesty for individuals and businesses was put in place, allowing time for compliance. A new amnesty order has been introduced for the firearms outlawed Thursday.

Officials made it clear that additional makes and models could be added to the list of banned firearms, saying an expert panel will provide advice on guns that are still on the market.

For instance, the SKS rifle, which has been used in shooting sprees, remains legal. LeBlanc said a decision on the firearm, used by many Indigenous people for hunting, would be made by February before the next phase of the buyback program.

"We want to reflect on this over the coming weeks."

Late last year, Parliament passed a government bill that cemented restrictions on handguns, increased penalties for firearm trafficking and aimed to curb homemade ghost guns.

The government says it is working to fully implement the bill, with remaining provisions to come into force early in the new year.

The legislation included a ban on assault-style firearms that fall under a new technical definition. However, the definition didn't apply to models that were already on the market when the bill passed.

The government says it intends to table regulatory amendments in Parliament on Dec. 13, following through on commitments to make sure that all makes and models of firearms are accounted for prior to entering the Canadian market. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024.