Cape Breton Regional Police service chief Robert Walsh, right to left, MP for Chateauguay-Les Jardins-de-Napierville Nathalie Provost look on as Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. Online claims that it will soon become 'criminal' to own a gun in Canada are misleading; the federal government has prohibited certain guns, but other firearms are still legal to own. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Cape Breton Regional Police service chief Robert Walsh, right to left, MP for Chateauguay-Les Jardins-de-Napierville Nathalie Provost look on as Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. Online claims that it will soon become 'criminal' to own a gun in Canada are misleading; the federal government has prohibited certain guns, but other firearms are still legal to own. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
A federal buyback of assault-style firearms from individual owners announced earlier this month prompted misleading social media posts from American influencers saying it will soon become "criminal" to own a gun in Canada. The posts claim all Canadians are being forced to hand over their guns, but in fact many guns are not on the list of federally prohibited weapons. Many firearms used for sport and hunting remain legal, although owners must have a licence to own them.Ìý
THE CLAIM
"Canada is forcing all Canadians to hand in their guns," reads a Sept. 28 post from the U.S. politics-focused account @WallStreetMav on the , formerly Twitter. "They have one year to get compensation by handing in their guns. Starting in October 2026 it will become criminal to own a gun."
The post, which had more than five million views and 49,000 likes at the time of publication, included a video taken from a that showed Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announcing a gun buyback pilot project at a news conference last week.
Other U.S. accounts on X and repeated the claim, with some adding comments advocating that : "Let’s make Alberta the 51st state."
THE FACTS
Only certain types of firearms are covered by federal gun restrictions, and Canadians with a possession and acquisition licence are able to own other firearms for sport and hunting.
More than 2.4 million people in Canada have a firearms licence, according to a .Ìý
There are three classes of firearms in Canada: non-restricted, restricted and prohibited.
Since May 2020, Ottawa has approximately 2,500 types of what it calls assault-style firearms — semi-automatics with sustained rapid-fire capability.
On Sept. 23, Anandasangaree announced that a for prohibited firearms will be open first to eligible gun owners in select areas of Cape Breton before it is launched to the rest of the country.Ìý
Anandasangaree said gun owners have until October 2026 to hand prohibited guns over to the government in exchange for compensation, or they can export, deactivate or turn them into police without compensation.
offered to gun owners ranges from $150 to $9,945 depending on the make and model.Ìý
An earlier phase of the compensation program saw more than 12,000 firearms handed in by businesses, with approximately $22 million in compensation paid out.
The federal government says that remain available for use in Canada.
Many firearms popular with sport shooters or hunters are still legal to own in Canada.Ìý
The Remington 700 bolt-action rifle and shotguns like the Mossberg 500 and Remington 870, for example, are not among the list of banned guns.
A came into effect in October 2022. This limited handgun purchases to certain exempted businesses and individuals, such as law enforcement.
SOURCES
The claim can be found posted Sept. 28, 2025 (), and (), on Sept. 28 () and on Sept. 29, 2025 ()
Jim Bronskill. Next phase of government's assault-style firearm buyback to begin in Nova Scotia. ¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû website. Sept. 23, 2025 ()
2024 Commissioner of Firearms Report. Royal Canadian Mounted Police . Accessed Sept. 30, 2025 ()
Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited or Restricted. Justice Laws . Accessed Sept. 30, 2025 ()
Government of Canada moves forward with the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program for individual firearms owners. Public Safety Canada via the Government of Canada . Sept. 23, 2025 ()
List of firearms: for individuals. Government of Canada . Accessed Sept. 30, 2025 ()
Government of Canada prohibits additional assault-style firearms. Public Safety Canada via the Government of Canada . Accessed Oct. 1, 2025 ()
Former Bill C-21: Keeping Canadians safe from gun crime. Public Safety Canada . Accessed Sept. 30, 2025 ()
Eric Beer. What Guns Are Legal In Canada 2023 / 2024. BC Firearms Academy . Accessed Sept. 30, 2025 ()
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