Why Federal Leaders Are Watching ARUD: A Canadian Innovation With Global Implications

When the Liberal Party announced its national gun buyback program, it was framed as a bold step toward reducing firearm-related harm in Canada. The intent is admirable taking certain prohibited firearms out of circulation but the execution raises difficult questions. With costs projected in the hundreds of millions of dollars, the program’s ability to actually reduce crime, improve public safety, or prevent child access to unsecured firearms remains uncertain.

Gun buybacks, by design, focus on removing specific weapons from legal owners. But the uncomfortable truth is that the majority of firearm-related crime in Canada is not being committed with these legally purchased, soon-to-be-surrendered guns. Police data consistently show that most crime guns originate from theft or cross-border smuggling. In Ontario, nearly 70% of traced crime guns are U.S.-sourced. Toronto Police have said in some operations the figure has reached as high as 90%. The buyback does little to address this pipeline.