Even CNN Can’t Ignore the Problems With Canada’s ‘Buyback’

February 16, 2026
2:15 pm

▶

Listen to Article

Even CNN, that bastion of gun-control cheerleading, is finally admitting what 2A advocates have shouted from the rooftops for years: Canada's mandatory buyback is a colossal flop. As the story details, police departments are balking at enforcing the program's collection mandates, citing everything from manpower shortages to outright skepticism about its value, while provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan are digging in their heels with flat-out refusals to participate. This isn't just bureaucratic foot-dragging—it's a grassroots rebellion against a top-down scheme that's already burned over $600 million taxpayer dollars with a compliance rate hovering around a pathetic 10-20%. Remember, this is the same program Justin Trudeau hyped as a panacea for mass shootings, forcing assault weapon owners to surrender their AR-15s and similar rifles or face criminalization. Spoiler: most Canadians are telling Ottawa to shove it, stashing guns in safes or simply ignoring the deadlines. Dig deeper, and the cracks reveal a textbook case of government overreach colliding with reality. Buybacks historically flop—Australia's 1996 confiscation saw black market surges and negligible crime drops, per studies from the University of Melbourne—yet Canada doubled down, ignoring data showing prohibited firearms weren't even used in recent tragedies like the Nova Scotia rampage (which involved illegal handguns smuggled from the U.S.). Police pushback stems from practical absurdities: Mounties are already overwhelmed with gang violence in cities like Toronto, where legal gun owners aren't the problem. Provinces opting out? That's federalism biting back, echoing U.S. states like Missouri defying ATF rules. For the 2A community, this is gold: it proves confiscation doesn't work without universal buy-in, exposes the slippery slope from reasonable restrictions to police-state enforcement, and spotlights how armed citizens (even in Canada) resist when push comes to shove. The implications for American gun rights are crystal clear—Canada's mess is our crystal ball. With Biden's ATF gun grabs and Harris's vague assault weapon ban rhetoric, expect the same playbook: flashy announcements, ballooning costs, and elite disdain for the deplorables who won't comply. But here's the 2A edge: unlike Canada's cowed culture, our decentralized law enforcement and sanctuary sheriffs (over 5,000 nationwide pledging non-enforcement of federal overreach) make mass resistance feasible. This CNN nod isn't endorsement—it's desperation signaling their narrative is crumbling. 2A warriors, take note: vigilance, voting, and VCDL-style activism keep the buyback beast at bay. Canada's failure is our firewall.

Best FFL Software Ranked and Compared!

Even CNN, that bastion of gun-control cheerleading, is finally admitting what 2A advocates have shouted from the rooftops for years: Canada’s mandatory buyback is a colossal flop. As the story details, police departments are balking at enforcing the program’s collection mandates, citing everything from manpower shortages to outright skepticism about its value, while provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan are digging in their heels with flat-out refusals to participate. This isn’t just bureaucratic foot-dragging—it’s a grassroots rebellion against a top-down scheme that’s already burned over $600 million taxpayer dollars with a compliance rate hovering around a pathetic 10-20%. Remember, this is the same program Justin Trudeau hyped as a panacea for mass shootings, forcing assault weapon owners to surrender their AR-15s and similar rifles or face criminalization. Spoiler: most Canadians are telling Ottawa to shove it, stashing guns in safes or simply ignoring the deadlines.

Dig deeper, and the cracks reveal a textbook case of government overreach colliding with reality. Buybacks historically flop—Australia’s 1996 confiscation saw black market surges and negligible crime drops, per studies from the University of Melbourne—yet Canada doubled down, ignoring data showing prohibited firearms weren’t even used in recent tragedies like the Nova Scotia rampage (which involved illegal handguns smuggled from the U.S.). Police pushback stems from practical absurdities: Mounties are already overwhelmed with gang violence in cities like Toronto, where legal gun owners aren’t the problem. Provinces opting out? That’s federalism biting back, echoing U.S. states like Missouri defying ATF rules. For the 2A community, this is gold: it proves confiscation doesn’t work without universal buy-in, exposes the slippery slope from reasonable restrictions to police-state enforcement, and spotlights how armed citizens (even in Canada) resist when push comes to shove.

The implications for American gun rights are crystal clear—Canada’s mess is our crystal ball. With Biden’s ATF gun grabs and Harris’s vague assault weapon ban rhetoric, expect the same playbook: flashy announcements, ballooning costs, and elite disdain for the deplorables who won’t comply. But here’s the 2A edge: unlike Canada’s cowed culture, our decentralized law enforcement and sanctuary sheriffs (over 5,000 nationwide pledging non-enforcement of federal overreach) make mass resistance feasible. This CNN nod isn’t endorsement—it’s desperation signaling their narrative is crumbling. 2A warriors, take note: vigilance, voting, and VCDL-style activism keep the buyback beast at bay. Canada’s failure is our firewall.

Share this story