The federal government announced today (Fri) another 179 assault-style firearms added to list of prohibited guns. A Public Safety Canada news release says the decision was informed by advice from an expert advisory panel and by past consultations. These firearms can no longer be legally possessed, sold in, or imported to Canada. The guns have semi-automatic action and have rapid-fire capability and are deemed to be not suitable for hunting or sport shooting. An Amnesty Order is in place for these newly prohibited firearms until March 1st of next year.

The news release adds that last November the federal government started implementing the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program to provide fair compensation to eligible businesses who have these guns in their inventory. Extending the program to individual owners is under way.

On the other side of the coin, the Government of Saskatchewan says the list of prohibited firearms for sale and ownership in Canada now totals over 2,500. A provincial government news release says many of these firearms are commonly used for hunting and sport target shooting.

Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister, Tim McLeod suggests that increasing the list of banned firearms won’t reduce criminal activity and instead will only increase the budget for a federal buyback program, which has already cost $75 million.

The Saskatchewan Firearms Office manages the ownership, purchase, movement and use of firearms within the province through the administration of federal firearms legislation. SFO Commissioner Robert Freberg says this announcement will only criminalize more lawful firearms owners and create more financial concerns for businesses and individuals already absorbing losses for firearms they can’t sell or use now.