Canadian Province Vows to Resist Liberals’ Gun ‘Buyback’ Plans

Despite the paltry number of guns collected during the Liberal’s trial run of their long-delayed compensated confiscation scheme, the Canadian government is moving ahead with its plan to expand its “buyback” efforts nationwide. Under former prime minister Justin Trudeau the Liberals enacted a sweeping prohibition of semi-automatic firearms, but the party’s attempt to implement the portion of the law dealing with acquiring these now-illegal arms has been stymied by delays and cost overruns… as well as pushback from some of Canada’s more conservative provinces. 

Alberta seems to be leading the charge against the Liberals’ gun ban campaign. On Monday, the provincial government laid out its strategy to resist the gun ban efforts, proclaiming that regulating gun ownership is a power exclusively reserved for the province, not the federal government. 

The motion states that the Alberta Bill of Rights guarantees the right to acquire, keep, and use firearms, as well as the right not to have property taken without “just compensation.” The motion promises to “use all legal means necessary” to actively resist the federal initiative.

The motion is Alberta’s formal declaration against the federal government’s ban on hundreds of assault-style firearms, which includes a voluntary buyback program known as the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program.  

“The Federal Firearms Seizure Initiative will unjustifiably interfere with the rights of law-abiding Alberta firearms owners, and violate the jurisdiction of the Alberta Legislature,” the order paper states. 

“The Federal Firearms Seizure Initiative will cause or is anticipated to cause harm to Albertans.”

Under the proposed legislation, Alberta would take all reasonable steps to ensure that neither the government, nor any “provincial entity” participates in the implementation or enforcement of the federal policy.

The CBC also reports that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told those attending the United Conservative Party’s annual convention that the provincial government will soon be introducing a measure that would explicitly “refuse to enforce or prosecute people under the federal rules.”

The motion is being introduced as part of Smith’s Alberta Sovereignty Within A United Canada Act, which is designed to allow Alberta to sidestep federal laws.

Justice Minister Mickey Amery, who tabled the motion, is expected to share more details on the bill at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

According to the order paper filed Tuesday, Alberta’s proposed measures to oppose the federal firearms program include refusing to provide any resources to the federal government for enforcement or prosecution purposes. 

In many ways, this sounds like the Second Amendment Sanctuary movement here in the States; a campaign of passive resistance and civic disobedience to laws meant to turn legal gun owners into non-violent criminals, while continuing to support the arrest and prosecution of those who misuse firearms to commit violent crimes. 

Whether the motion would actually prevent a “buyback” from being held in the province or prevent the federal government from filing charges against anyone caught illegally possessing a gun they once legally owned remains to be seen, but at the very least the provincial government is declaring it won’t lift a finger or spend a penny to enforce the Liberals’ gun ban and compensated confiscation scheme. 

It’s also unclear whether any other province will follow Alberta’s lead. Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Ontario are controlled by the Progressive Conservative party, while the United Conservative Party holds sway in Alberta. The fact that the Liberals’ trial run of their compensated confiscation scheme took place in Nova Scotia suggests that while the Progressive Conservatives may oppose the federal government’s gun ban efforts, they’re not as ready or willing to take the same defiant stand as the United Conservatives in Alberta. 

Here’s hoping Alberta’s efforts will help their Progressive Conservative counterparts find their spine and stand up for Canadian gun owners too. Voicing opposition is great, but actions speak louder than words, and Alberta’s Conservatives are taking some pretty bold steps in defense of the right to keep arms.