Federal ‘assault style’ gun buy-back program makes MB debut

The federal government’s controversial Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP) made its Manitoba debut in Steinbach on Monday, with Public Safety Canada’s Mobile Collections Unit (MCU) setting up in front of the local RCMP detachment.

Members of the MCU said they expected 95 submissions alone on the first day of the two-day visit to the community, before they move on to other stops like Selkirk and Dauphin during the 14-day Manitoba tour.

“Its super easy, and very orderly, you don’t even need to get out of your car,” RCMP reservist Kelly Glaspey said. “Its all done by appointment. Just go online, fill out the form and receive your appointment time.”

People dropping off their declared firearms are received at the entrance to the detachment parking lot and then directed to a check point where public safety officials then complete the documentation process and take the weapons into their custody before issuing a receipt, all without the client so much as turning off their vehicle.

RCMP reservists rather than on-duty officers are being used to facilitate the drop-offs and provide security so as to not detract from front-line services.

Since the most recent amendments to the classification regulations in March of 2025 which build on the May 2020 ban that left many gun owners in the position of possessing firearms now deemed illegal, the buy-back program has been the subject of criticism and even resistance by both gun advocates and several governments, including Manitoba and Premier Wab Kinew.

As of March 31, more than 67,000 firearms have been self-declared by owners across the country to Public Safety Canada, with 2,442 in Manitoba. Owners have until Oct. 30, as part of an amnesty period to disable or dispose of the newly prohibited weapons or find themselves at risk of criminal prosecution, with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree having said “while participating in the program is voluntary, compliance with the law is not.”

The WPS left Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham on the defensive recently by taking on the federal government’s initiative to receive prohibited weapons in the city, but Bea Krahn, senior communications coordinator for Steinbach said “the City of Steinbach is not at all involved in this federal initiative so we have no comments to provide on it.”

Inquiries about what to do with prohibited weapons can be found online through the RCMP web portal https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms.