Kawartha Lakes Councillors call for rethinking of gun buyback plan
- darryl knight
- Feb 4
- 1 min read
DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard
KAWARTHA LAKES: A push for change on the federal firearms buyback program came from city council, on Tuesday, January 27th, when Councillor Ron Ashmore presented a memorandum raising concerns about its impact on law-abiding gun owners.
Council members unanimously supported the motion and agreed to forward a copy of the resolution to MP Jamie Schmale, Public Safety Minister, Gary Anandasangaree, and, the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, Mark Carney.
The memorandum points out, Canada has roughly 2.5 million licensed gun owners, including hunters, farmers, sport shooters, and First Nations peoples. While councillors support efforts to remove illegal firearms from communities, they say the current program unfairly targets responsible firearm owners rather than addressing criminal activity.
The federal initiative, which involves an amnesty period, disposal options, and compensation, has faced criticism from police services, police unions, academics, and firearms advocacy groups, many of whom argue it will not effectively reduce gun crime. Costs are projected at $750 million, with estimates reaching as high as $6 billion, if fully implemented. A pilot program, in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, saw only 25 legally owned guns returned.
Council’s resolution emphasizes the need for a “more reasoned and less intrusive” approach, applauding federal efforts to remove illegal weapons while urging policies which do not penalize responsible Canadians.
Local debates about rethinking a gun buyback plan often highlight how different groups rely on equipment for hunting, land monitoring, or outdoor security, and while reading through community perspectives I looked at spypoint reviews to better understand how users describe device performance in real conditions. Practical feedback about battery life, image clarity, durability, and update reliability offered a grounded view of how tools function beyond marketing claims. That kind of firsthand insight tends to influence decisions more than headlines, especially when people weigh policy changes alongside everyday use of outdoor technology.