Canada Bans 1,500 Semi-Auto Rifles, Institutes Buyback Program
Richard Moorhead
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a comprehensive ban on the sale or use of semiautomatic rifles in the country Friday, broadly forbidding the ownership of rifles such as the AR-15 after a mass shooting in the country’s Nova Scotia province.
Canada already has a comprehensive licensing program for gun ownership, and magazine capacity is starkly restricted to a maximum of five rounds. But apparently this isn’t enough, and as of Friday gun owners are prohibited from acquiring, selling, or using their semiautomatic rifles.
It appears that the Canadian government is preparing to institute a wide-ranging buyback program, as well. The nation’s parliament is going to create a program that will provide “fair compensation” to gun owners in exchange for taking their guns. Trudeau also said that the gun restriction will include a grandfathering program for gun owners who want to keep their rifles, although it does appear possible that the gun ban will include a mandatory buyback, essentially a confiscation.
There are an estimated 80,000+ AR-style rifles legally owned in Canada. Trudeau’s ban also forbids the ownership of other common rifles, such as the Ruger Mini-14 rife.
Trudeau claims that “there is no use and no place for such weapons in Canada.”
At least some rifles seem to have escaped the wide-ranging ban, which includes more than 1,500 models of so-called “assault weapons.” The Soviet SKS rifle and American M1 Garand are among the most practical rifles that the Canadian government hasn’t restricted, and these weapons may be left as the go-to choice for Canadian gun owners seeking a weapon for self defense.
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