The Canadian Taxpayers Federation released new Leger polling showing 55 per cent of Canadians think that stopping illegal gun smuggling is the most effective way to reduce gun crime.

“The poll shows that Canadians know the real problem is illegal gun smuggling, not firearms owned by licenced Canadian gun owners,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “Planning to spend potentially billions of dollars on a program that Canadians don’t think is effective is a waste of money.

“Law-enforcement experts are telling Ottawa to focus on smugglers instead of licenced gun owners and this poll shows Canadians agree with that commonsense reality.”

The federal government originally announced the gun ban and buyback scheme in 2020. The government has started collecting firearms from businesses, but the government has not yet taken a single gun from individual Canadian gun owners.

The Leger poll asked Canadians what they think is the most effective way to reduce gun crime. Results of the poll show:

• 55 per cent say introducing tougher measures to stop the illegal smuggling of guns into Canada from the United States is most effective.
• 26 per cent say banning the sale and ownership of many different makes and models of guns as well as using a government buyback program is the most effective.
• Eight per cent say neither of these options.
• 11 per cent don’t know.

These results echo what police organizations have been saying for years.

The National Police Federation, the union representing the RCMP, says Ottawa’s buyback “diverts extremely important personnel, resources, and funding away from addressing the more immediate and growing threat of criminal use of illegal firearms.”

“There is no evidence that gun bans are effective in reducing this violence, particularly when 85 per cent of guns seized by our members can be traced back to the United States,” said the Toronto Police Association.

The government said the buyback program would cost taxpayers $200 million in 2019. Just buying back the guns, not including administrative costs, could cost up to $756 million, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer. 

Since then, the government has banned hundreds of other models of firearms as well as accessories, increasing the potential cost to taxpayers.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to “reinvigorate the implementation” of Ottawa’s gun ban and buyback program.

“Ordinary Canadians and the experts both know this policy isn’t going to make anyone safer so the government needs to stop wasting money on this scheme,” Haubrich said. “It’s time to listen to Canadians and scrap the gun ban and buyback.”