Alberta won't participate in Ottawa's firearm buyback program. What does that mean for local gun owners?

The federal government's national gun buyback program is facing obstacles in Alberta — namely that the province is refusing to enforce or participate in it.

The feds have banned around 2,500 "assault-style" firearm models since 2020, justifying the move by stating these weapons are intended for warfare rather than hunting or sport.

Participation in the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP) is voluntary. Interested gun owners have until March 31 to declare their interest in turning in their outlawed firearms and receiving compensation from the federal government.

But through a legislative motion passed in December, the government of Alberta is pushing back by refusing to participate in the compensation program and prohibiting local law enforcement from taking part in it too.

The provincial government confirmed to CBC News that the program will not be enforced in Alberta, joining Saskatchewan in legislating its refusal. The province of Manitoba has also said it won't be enforcing the program.

While the ASFCP is voluntary, it's still against the law for Canadians to own those prohibited firearms. Anyone who hasn't submitted a declaration by the March 31 deadline will not be eligible for federal compensation if they turn in their guns.

The amnesty period for possessing banned guns ends on Oct. 30.

Although Alberta is not enforcing the buyback program, people living in the province can still submit declarations.

Teri Bryant, the province's chief firearms officer, told CBC News it's up to the federal government to enforce the ASFCP in Alberta.

"We will have nothing to do with this program. We will not spend any Alberta taxpayer dollars on this program," she said. "We can't block the federal government from setting something up, but they have to set it up and be appropriately licensed."

That means the federal government has to hire seizure agents to collect those firearms, as Alberta law enforcement won't accept them through the buyback program.

The federal government's website says appointments for turning in firearms can be scheduled with local police or RCMP — both of which are not an option in Alberta under its anti-ASFCP legislation — or "a mobile collection unit," depending on the location.

The other option for approved participants is to have firearms decommissioned by an Alberta business with a federal seizure agent licence. The RCMP keeps an online registry of businesses federally certified to deactivate firearms.

People who submit a declaration expressing their interest by March 31 are expected to be paid through the gun buyback program's pool of funding — $248.6 million, which would pay for around 136,000 outlawed firearms from individuals — within 45 business days of their gun being validated.