The Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association has some serious concerns following the Minister of Public Safety’s announcement regarding the confiscation program or “Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program”. CSAAA’s involvement in this program was strictly to provide consultation on the pricing of prohibited firearms for the business compensation program. Our participation focused solely on helping ensure that retailers and distributors are as fairly compensated for their unsellable inventory and experience as fair and workable of a process as possible.

Unfortunately, not all of the pricing we submitted was adopted, and some of the final valuations announced for businesses do not accurately reflect the value that the industry offered. Another concerning aspect is the government’s allocation of only $11 million to this program. We do not believe that amount will come close to covering the inventory businesses across Canada have. For companies that have hundreds of thousands, and in some cases millions, in this prohibited inventory, a lack of compensation would be forcing further closures, layoffs, and causing even more long-term damage to the industry.

These prohibitions have been a financial burden as firearms businesses continue to endure significant costs for storage and insurance, while facing declines in sales across firearms, ammunition, and accessories. On top of thousands of models that are now unsellable – range closures, decreased consumer confidence, and manufacturer or distributor hesitation to introduce new products have led to business closures and job losses nationwide.

We believe that meaningful public safety improvements should come from stronger border controls, enhanced law enforcement resources, programs for at-risk youth, and measures targeting repeat violent offenders. Targeting legal businesses, licensed sport shooters, hunters, and farmers only result in job losses, economic harm, and the erosion of a large part of Canadian culture and heritage.

CSAAA continues to urge the government to reconsider this ineffective and damaging approach of prohibitions and confiscation. Our organization will continue to bring forward the concerns and unanswered questions of businesses in upcoming meetings with Public Safety Canada. CSAAA remains committed to defending the interests of our members, supporting businesses across Canada, and protecting and promoting the future of the hunting and firearms industry and community.