Liberals Estimated Gun-Confiscation Costs at $1.8 Billion in 2019 Briefing

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TheGunBlog.ca — Canada’s Liberal Party-led administration estimated the cost of its first round of mass gun confiscations targeting government-licensed owners at $1.8 billion, according to an internal report from late 2019.

Department of Justice ‘In-Depth Briefing’

The Department of Justice’s 11-page “In-Depth Briefing” on firearms and forced seizures the Liberals nicknamed “buyback“ offers a rare view into their secret preparations, and hints at major complexities that have led the confiscation fantasy to flounder.

  • The report refers to the forced rifle and shotgun seizures that Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ordered on 01 May 2020. He still has no clue how to execute them.
  • The undated document refers to election-campaign details Trudeau announced on 20 September 2019.
  • TheGunBlog.ca obtained a copy of the briefing from an Access To Information and Privacy (ATIP) request by Joey Gilliland.

$1.8 Billion Confiscation ‘Would Be Costly’

Source: Department of Justice briefing, page 10:

The buy-back program:

  • Could be implemented in the medium-term (1 to 2 years);
  • Requires program design and implementation beyond any precedent, and is outside the existing authorities of departments and agencies; and,
  • would be costly: administration (such as notification, collection, storage, destruction and payment) and compensation to individual owners is estimated at $1.8 billion.

—Source: Department of Justice, “Firearms: In-Depth Briefing,” Late 2019

Estimate Is Too Low

The DoJ estimate is probably far too low.

  • The $1.8 billion in projected costs covers confiscations from “individual owners,” and excludes businesses.
  • Trudeau’s May 2020 confiscation order may have targeted far more rifles and shotguns than expected by the Department of Justice.
  • The RCMP, which is helping the Liberals with their attacks, added hundreds of models to the confiscation list after May 2020.

Why It Matters

  • The briefing offers a rare peek into the Liberals’ planning and pricing for their attacks against honest citizens as they work to suppress legal gun owners. The administration refuses to disclose its cost estimates.
  • The $1.8 billion expense estimate is roughly twice the forecast in an earlier 2019 government memo. It’s more than double the highest estimate by the Parliamentary Budget Officer in 2021. It’s at the low end of cost estimates by Gary Mauser, an economist.
  • Soaring inflation means taxpayers will pay even more for the crackdown. Goods and services that cost $1.8 billion in 2019 cost $2.1 billion today, according to the Bank of Canada’s Inflation Calculator.

Trudeau Failure

A bit of good news:

  • The massive opposition and obstacles facing Trudeau’s confiscation fantasy suggest he will continue to fail.
  • We intend to keep our guns.

Department of Justice Briefing (PDF)

Source: ATIP by Joey Gilliland

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