Murray Wood: Watch out for the pump pirates!
Gas prices shot up last week, even though crude prices didn't. And now that war is pushing crude prices up, Murray Wood ...
Details of the federal gun buyback program have one Saskatchewan gun shop owner wondering why there isn’t more money for compensation — and doesn’t take into account equipment such as accessories for the now-banned firearms.
The federal government said nearly $250 million has been earmarked for owners who register for the buyback by the March 31 deadline, adding that amount is expected to cover 136,000 firearms.
Read more:
- Federal gun buyback program opens Monday, with March 31 deadline to register
- Sask. firearms commissioner outlines issues with gun buyback as Ottawa launches pilot
“It’s very weak. There’s way, way more than that,” Donald Deforest, owner of Eagle Firearms in Tisdale, said Saturday. “It’s underfunded.”
Deforest said even if compensation is offered for a firearm on the banned list, it still results in a lot of equipment that goes with that gun that is now useless.
“It’s the accessories, your optics, your loading equipment. There’s so much more to it than just the gun,” he explained. “You’re probably spending more on on the accessories and the support to that gun.”
In addition to owning the store for nearly 10 years, Deforest is a hunter and gun owner himself. But he said he’s concerned for the potential loss of the sport of shooting.
“These sports are very family oriented — the wives, the kids, everybody participates. And after, there’s always big steak barbecues. It’s a very social event,” he said. “The shooting is just an excuse for everybody to get together.
“It’s just a loss of our culture.”
Deforest said a lot of money has been spent so far on gun control with little to show for it, adding efforts should instead be directed toward unlicensed firearm owners and gang violence.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree urged owners of the banned firearms to apply for compensation early, because it will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Owners of banned guns can also comply with the law by deactivating their firearms at their own expense, turning them in to local police for no compensation, or exporting them if they hold an export permit.
— with files from The Canadian Press
Read more:
