Nova Scotia·NewMore than 100 people protested outside Cape Breton Regional Police headquarters in Sydney, N.S., hoping to convince the federal government to scrap its ban and buyback program for assault-style firearms.Protesters say they hope resisting pilot project will convince government to scrap assault-style firearms banTom Ayers · CBC News · Posted: Oct 02, 2025 6:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes agoMore than 100 people opposed to the federal government’s assault-style gun buyback program rallied in front of Cape Breton Regional Police headquarters in Sydney, N.S., on Thursday. (Tom Ayers/CBC)More than 100 people protested outside Cape Breton Regional Police headquarters in Sydney, N.S., on Thursday, hoping to convince the federal government to scrap its ban and buyback program for assault-style firearms.Mel Howley does not own a prohibited gun, but he said he’s worried the government will come for his guns if it’s successful with the buyback.”You have to draw a line in the sand and I think that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said, holding a sign while standing on the lawn. “We’re just regular folks. We’re hard-working, law-abiding, taxpaying Canadians and we just feel threatened.”Federal officials say the program is aimed at about 2,500 makes and models of guns that are similar to ones used in crimes.They define assault-style firearms as guns that are semi-automatic, have a military design and have a large capacity for ammunition.At the rally, Bernadette Poirier said the program is putting the blame on law-abiding citizens.’We’re not those criminals'”I’m not one of those criminals and everybody that’s here can probably say the same thing. We’re not one of those criminals, so why come after us?”Simon Lee, an international student from Hong Kong, said he has a prohibited gun that he uses to shoot paper targets.”It’s just a bolt-action rifle,” he said. “I don’t know how it became an assault rifle … so I think it’s quite hilarious.”Lee said he was surprised by the turnout at the rally.”I think the scale is bigger than what I expected and it seems like they offended a lot of people.”Devin Drover, a lawyer with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says gun owners should hang on to their banned firearms and not comply with the federal buyback program. (Kyle Moore/CBC)The federal government’s buyback program is running as a pilot project in Cape Breton to work out the kinks before the program rolls out across the country.The law banning the firearms is not being enforced for the next year in hopes owners will voluntarily turn in the guns.The government has capped the buyback program at $742 million.Devin Drover, a lawyer and Atlantic director with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, was at the rally offering free legal advice to gun owners.”I think this program is ultimately doomed to fail, so if they want to legally hold their firearms until the amnesty period’s over, we’re here to support them in doing so.”Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights vice-president Tracey Wilson says if people don’t turn in their guns, the federal government will have to scrap its buyback program. (Kyle Moore/CBC)Tracey Wilson, a vice-president with the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, said Prime Minister Mark Carney should scrap the program.”If he wants to be that pragmatic leader who’s looking to save money and end the division in this country, he’ll dump this thing entirely,” she said.”Our goal here today is to tell the good people of Cape Breton that they don’t have to put up with this. They don’t have to participate in this pilot project and let’s let the whole thing fail.”Opponents say the guns on the banned list are not the ones that are used in crimes. They say those are often stolen firearms or ones smuggled over the border illegally.Cape Breton Regional Police closed their headquarters to the public Thursday due to the rally staged by opponents to the federal gun buyback program. (Tom Ayers/CBC)Public Safety Canada says some guns used in mass casualty events have since been banned and in one case, a banned weapon was used. Two of the firearms used in the mass casualty incident in Nova Scotia in April 2020 were prohibited in May 2020, including the Ruger Mini-14 and Colt Law Enforcement Carbine semi-automatic rifle. One of the firearms used in the Quebec City mosque attack in January 2017 — the Czech Small Arms VZ858 Sportster — was prohibited in 2020. One of the firearms used in the shooting of RCMP officers in Moncton in June 2014 — the Norinco M305 (.308) — was prohibited in 2020. The firearm used in the Dawson College shooting in Montreal in 2006 that injured 19 people — the Beretta Cx4 Storm — was prohibited in 2020. The firearm used in the murder of RCMP officers in Rochefort Bridge, Alta., in March 2025 — the Heckler and Kock (H&K) 91 — was prohibited in 2020. The firearm used in the Polytechnique massacre in Montreal in December 1989 — the Ruger Mini-14 — was prohibited in 2020. The government says removing those types of guns from circulation also reduces the risk of them being stolen and then used illegally.In 2023, there were 1,497 incidents of firearm theft, according to Public Safety Canada. About 80 per cent were taken from a residence, with the rest stolen from businesses.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORTom Ayers has been a reporter and editor for 39 years. He has spent the last 21 covering Cape Breton and Nova Scotia stories. You can reach him at tom.ayers@cbc.ca.
Opponents of federal gun buyback program rally outside Cape Breton police HQ
