2 Million Canadians,
Guilty By Decree
On October 30, 2025, over 2 million ordinary Canadians will be at risk of being made into criminals overnight.
Not for hurting anyone, or breaking any law, but because our government is penalizing licensed, vetted, lawful firearm owners.
Farmers. Hunters. Sport shooters. Veterans. Parents.
These are not the people endangering our communities, yet they’re the ones being punished.
The Verdict: No Safer
When the Canadian government introduced the 2020 assault-style firearms ban, it promised Canadians a safer future.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾ Instead, the opposite has happened:
Gun crime has risen every year since the ban was announced.⁽³⁾
Canada’s gun crime rate is now at its highest point since 1991.⁽³⁾
By contrast, licensed Canadian gun owners, those most affected by the ban, consistently maintain a firearm-related homicide rate less than 0.001%.⁽⁴⁾
This pattern isn’t unique to Canada. New Zealand’s similar 2019 ban led to the same outcome: more gun crime, not less.⁽⁵⁾⁽⁶⁾ The policy has failed to deliver on its most basic promise and highlights a single, undeniable truth:
While these kinds of laws may sound good on the surface, we
need real solutions that actually make our communities safer.
Firearm-Related Violent Crime
Source: Firearms and violent crime in Canada, 2022. Statistics Canada. ⁽³⁾
So Why Hasn’t It Worked?
Canada’s gun ban is targeting the wrong people: licensed firearm owners, while doing little to stop criminals or address the root causes of violence.⁽⁷⁾
Licensed Canadian gun owners have a firearm-related homicide rate over 3x lower than the national average.⁽⁸⁾
Gangs, the real drivers of gun violence, are 15x more likely to commit violence with a gun.⁽³⁾
Nearly 9 out of 10 guns seized in crimes are simply smuggled in from the United States.⁽⁹⁾
The numbers don’t lie: This policy disproportionately punishes the worst offenders the least while penalizing the safest citizens the most.⁽³⁾⁽⁸⁾
“There is no evidence that gun bans are effective in reducing this violence, particularly when 85 per cent of guns seized by our members can be traced back to the United States”
— Toronto Police Association ⁽¹⁰⁾
Disinformation
“Gun bans work.”
Fact
Canada and New Zealand both saw an increase in gun violence after their bans.⁽³⁾⁽⁶⁾
“Assault-style firearms are only designed for maximum lethality.”
“Gun ownership is an unnecessary risk to Canadians.”
By the numbers, licensed Canadian gun owners are the safest citizens in the country with a gun-related homicide rate less than 0.001%, 3x lower than the national average.⁽⁴⁾⁽⁸⁾
“If banning guns saves even one life, it’s worth it.”
In 2024, Canadians were nearly as likely to be killed by shooting as by stabbing.⁽¹³⁾ Either we measure risk honestly across the board, or we admit this policy isn’t about saving lives.
$6 Billion: The Price Tag of Failure
The 2020 assault-style firearms ban isn’t solving gun violence, it’s distracting from what does. The buyback:
Will cost more in 2025 than we will spend enforcing our borders: where 85% of firearms used in violent crime originate.⁽¹⁴⁾⁽⁹⁾
Is projected to cost 3x more than the federal government’s Substance Use and Addictions Program, while drug poisonings in Canada claim over 30x as many lives annually.⁽¹⁵⁾⁽¹⁶⁾
Has already cost over $67 million without collecting a single firearm from our citizens, but is still expected to cost closer to $6.7 billion: without providing any evidence it will make our communities any safer.⁽¹⁷⁾⁽¹⁸⁾⁽¹⁹⁾
To put that into scale, if 1 million seconds is roughly 11 days, then 6 billion seconds is nearly 200 years.
“In fact, [the buyback] diverts extremely important personnel, resources, and funding away from addressing the more immediate and growing threat of criminal use of illegal firearms.”
— National Police Federation (RCMP Union) ⁽²¹⁾
Canada Federal Spending by Purpose (2025)
So What Does Solve Gun Violence?
Real solutions exist, and they save lives when we use them. If we’re serious about saving lives, we need to stop chasing distractions and start focusing our resources.
$6 Billion could go a long way. That’s…
1,900
Vehicle X-Rays for
Our Borders
To seize illegal firearms before
they even enter the country. ⁽²²⁾
50
Mental Health Facilities for
Our Struggling Loved Ones
That could do so much more
than prevent gun crime. ⁽²³⁾
Mental Health Services
★
Border Security Investments
★
Crisis Intervention
★
Firearm Safety Education
★
Anti-Gang Initiatives
★
Community Outreach Programs
★
Enforcement of Existing Laws
★
Mental Health Services ★ Border Security Investments ★ Crisis Intervention ★ Firearm Safety Education ★ Anti-Gang Initiatives ★ Community Outreach Programs ★ Enforcement of Existing Laws ★
Real Safety, The Future We Deserve
We all want safety in our homes, on our streets, and in our communities. But punishing licensed, responsible Canadians won’t get us there.⁽¹⁹⁾
It’s a distraction, and in October 2025, that distraction will turn ordinary Canadians into criminals overnight.⁽²⁵⁾ It won’t make our streets any safer and it won’t stop violent crime — but it will divide our communities, waste our resources, and undermine trust in institutions meant to serve us all.⁽¹⁹⁾
Canadians deserve better:
We deserve laws built on evidence, not fear.
Solutions that target crime, not responsible citizens.
A government that treats its citizens with fairness and respect.
Farmers, hunters, sport shooters, veterans, and parents.
We are citizens committed to a culture of safety. We handle and store our firearms responsibly, and teach our children to do the same; because we know that real safety doesn’t come from dividing communities. It comes from:
Speaking up against divisive policies.
Standing together against real sources of violent crime.
Demanding better from institutions meant to serve us all,
and it starts with getting this right.