(Update May 11, 15:20 Toronto time: Adds RCMP response.)
TheGunBlog.ca — The RCMP deleted the option for so-called “grandfathering” this week from its web page on the Canadian government’s mass gun confiscations, igniting concern owners will face jail unless we surrender our gear within two years.
Two Promises
The website now mentions only the first of two options promised by the governing Liberal Party:
- Fast confiscation by 30 April 2022 with a payoff for victims, what the Liberals call “buyback.”
It no longer mentions the second option that was promised:
- Slow confiscation at death without payment, what the Liberals call “grandfathering.”
Many of Canada’s 2.2 million federally licensed firearm users hit by the sudden bans view slow confiscation as less distasteful.
‘A Tad Alarming’
“I don’t intend to surrender any guns or any freedoms, so it’s a tad alarming when the federal police updates its website to delete my option to stay out of jail,” said Nicolas Johnson, the editor of TheGunBlog.ca.
“This looks like an early signal that the Liberals will backtrack on their promise of confiscation-at-death ‘grandfathering,’ and force fast confiscation,” he said.
RCMP Response
Update May 11: TheGunBlog.ca contacted the Ottawa-based Royal Canadian Mounted Police for a comment early in the morning of May 9 about the website change. Camille Boily-Lavoie, a police spokeswoman, responded by e-mail on May 11:
The reference to Grandfathering was removed to avoid providing examples of possible regimes that would be included in the buy-back program. The details of the buyback program are unknown and will be determined through Government.
Source: RCMP, Response to TheGunBlog.ca, 11 May 2020
No Ethics
The surprise May 1 ban order sparked anxiety over the ethics of a government that threatens honest citizens with jail unless we turn in our property to the police.
Early Mention
The RCMP’s web page Q&A originally mentioned “grandfathering.” You can see the Internet Archive Wayback Machine’s archived copy of May 1.
The references to “grandfathering” no longer appear in the archived copy from May 6, or the current version.
RCMP Mentions ‘Grandfathering’ Five Times on May 01
(Bold added)
The Government has announced its intention to provide owners with the choice to return their firearms for buy-back or elect a grandfathering option.
If you relinquish a newly prohibited firearm or device before the implementation of the buy-back program or intended grandfathering regime, you won’t be eligible for compensation once the program is announced.
More information on the Government’s intended buy-back program and grandfathering regime for the newly prohibited firearms and devices will be available at a later date.
…
Other options are to have your firearm deactivated by an approved business or to legally export the firearm. You can also wait for further instructions to participate in the buy-back program or grandfathering regime.
…
More information on the Government’s intended buy-back program and grandfathering regime for the newly prohibited firearms and devices will be available at a later date.
Source: RCMP, Archived Confiscation Q&A Web Page, 01 May 2020
RCMP Mentions ‘Grandfathering’ Zero Times on May 06
(Same as version of May 08.)
The Government intends to implement a buy-back program and is looking at a range of options. More information on the buy-back program will be available at a later date.
If you relinquish a newly prohibited firearm or device before the implementation of the buy-back program, you won’t be eligible for compensation once the program is announced.
More information on the buy-back program will be available at a later date.
…
Other options are to have your firearm deactivated by an approved business or to legally export the firearm. You can also wait for further instructions to participate in the buy-back program.
…
More information on the buy-back program will be available at a later date.
Source: RCMP, Archived Confiscation Q&A Web Page, 06 May 2020
Partial Screenshot of RCMP Wording on May 01
Partial Screenshot of RCMP Wording on May 06
No Mention
Neither the words nor the concepts of “grandfathering” or “buyback” appear in the ban list (SOR/2020-96) or the amnesty order (SOR/2020-97) published May 1.
The orders amount to criminalizing tens of thousands of people who own more than 125,000 rifles, and simultaneously handing us a Stay Out of Jail card until 30 April 2022, on condition we keep our guns locked up as “safe queens.”
They don’t talk about what happens after 30 April 2022. As written, anyone who still has a newly prohibited firearms after the deadline faces prison.
Notes, Briefings, Analysis
The Ministry of Public Safety mentioned “grandfathering” in verbal and written briefings about the confiscation order, and in a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement that follows the regulations and isn’t part of them.
Ministry of Public Safety
The RCMP controls private gun ownership under the Ministry of Public Safety.
The ministry promised the confiscation-for-compensation “buyback” option several times on its Q&A page about the forced firearm surrender.
It doesn’t mention confiscation-without-compensation “grandfathering” as an option for gun owners.
Will the Government establish a buy-back program or a grandfathering regime?
The Government intends to implement a buyback program as soon as possible. We are looking at a range of options and will work with the provinces and territories to get this right for law-abiding gun owners. Our top priority is ensuring the safety and security of Canadians. We will take the necessary steps to get this right for our kids and grandkids.
Source: Ministry of Public Safety, Changes to Prohibited Firearms, 01 May 2020
Related
- Trudeau Orders Immediate Rifle Bans, Promises ‘Grandfathering’
- Trudeau Just Killed My Trust in Government, the RCMP and the Law
- Liberal Gun Bans
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Correction 12:30 Toronto time: Corrects date of web change.