The Justin Trudeau Liberal government is set to introduce in coming days a bill detailing their buy-back confiscation program for so-called “assault-style” guns that were banned in last year’s gun grab..The program will pay some compensation to owners of firearms that were made illegal – but some experts say it will cost taxpayers billions of dollars and turn into a boondoggle..Trudeau announced last May the banning 1,500 different makes and models of what he called “military-style” and “assault-style” guns in Canada. No government officially were able to define what constitutes “military-style” or “assault-style” guns beyond aesthetic appearance..Public Safety Minister Bill Blair made a series of presentations to various members of the Liberal caucus this week to brief them on the details of the draft bill, CBC Radio-Canada is reporting..CBC Radio-Canada said a Liberal official told them the proposed program is “not perfect, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work.”.But Conservative Alberta MP Shannon Stubbs said the program will do little to curb gun crime..“Instead of targeting law-abiding Canadians and firearm retailers, the government should be investing in police anti-gang and gun units and the CBSA, so that they have the resources they need to stop illegal smuggling operations and get dangerous criminals and gangs off our streets,” she said in an email to the CBC..Numerous firearms groups and private citizens have filed legal action to stop the bill..Gary Mauser, Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute, said whatever plan the Liberals come up with will likely end up being a billion-dollar boondoggle, adding any buy back plan could cost up to $5 billion..“Minister (Bill) Blair claimed the cost for the “buy back” of roughly 250,000 firearms would be between $400 million and $600 million—$375 million for the guns and presumably the rest for overhead. That is, if owners comply,” Mauser wrote in a January blog, published before the firearms ban was announced..“However, the actual full cost of the ‘buy back’ won’t be $600 million; it will be much more.”.“Focusing on reimbursement costs is misleading because it ignores the biggest expense—staffing costs. Prohibiting and confiscating an estimated 250,000 firearms is a complex undertaking and would involve considerable government resources. It’s impossible to do with current police resources.”.Mauser then laid out steps the feds will have to take to make any buy back scheme work..“Here’s a rough outline of the steps involved in the nation-wide confiscation program:.draw up plans for the entire project and secure approval from Trudeau’s cabinetidentify, as specifically as possible, the firearms to be confiscated and announce the listevaluate information and processing capacity, possibly develop new computer systemsidentify and notify owners of soon-to-be-confiscated firearmsorganize the physical set up for collecting the firearms (e.g. arrange secure office space for collection points and train the police and clerks who will accept surrendered firearms)staff the collection points so surrendered firearms may be assessed and processedidentify and hire venders who will destroy the collected gunsprocess payments to the former ownersphysically collect and ship the firearms, and then destroy the firearms.“Plus, of course, there will be an advertising program to persuade the public that confiscating legally-purchased and legally-used firearms will ‘make Canada safer.’.“Based on these assumptions, confiscating 250,000 firearms would cost the Canadian taxpayer between $1.6 billion to almost $5 billion in the first year. This estimate excludes travel costs and any ministerial administrators,” he wrote..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
