
‘Backed into a Corner,’ Gun buyback pilot program faces criticism
Global News
The program offers gun owners money to hand in or disable weapons on the list, with compensation listed at anywhere from $150 to more than $9,900, depending on make and model.
The federal government’s gun buyback pilot project to compensate legal owners who turn in prohibited firearms is facing opposition in Cape Breton, N.S., where it’s being rolled out.
“They got us backed into a corner,” says John Campbell, owner of The Bullet Box, a gun store and indoor range in Sydney, Cape Breton.
Campbell started his business six years ago out of a passion for sport shooting.
Now, he says his six-year-old business faces closure.
“When you have your inventory essentially being frozen and saying you can’t sell it but yet we still had to pay for, it’s devastating. It’s a very hard thing to come back from,” he says.
He says firearms that were his top sellers, particularly for competitive target shooters, are now on the federal list of 2,500 guns that have been classified as prohibited weapons.
Campbell argues a lack of understanding about the weapons is part of the problem.
But the government says the firearms on the banned list shouldn’t be in anyone’s hands.













