Canadian firearms lawyer and YouTuber Ian Runkle is raising questions about whether Colt Canada, the country’s primary military small-arms manufacturer, is playing a central role in the Liberal government’s controversial firearms confiscation program.During a Sept. 23 press conference announcing the program’s pilot experiment in Cape Breton, Minister of Public Safety "Gun Grab" Gary Anandasangaree said, the federal government would “test the destruction of firearms with our external service provider.”Runkle believes that the external service provider could be Colt Canada.In an Oct. 2 video, Runkle argued that the government needs a third-party company with both industrial capacity and the special licensing required to handle firearms that have been prohibited under Canadian law..“They can’t really go to a smelter and give them a business firearms licence because they’d also have to vet all of the employees,” he said.“So, it looks like the solution is Colt Canada.”Colt Canada, located in Kitchener, Ont., is a subsidiary of the Czech-based Colt CZ Group.Its headquarters sit just a short drive from a warehouse at 186 Shoemaker Street — a site that, according to some online sources, has seen several firearms businesses that have participated in the program instructed to send prohibited weapons there.The proximity has fuelled speculation online that the Shoemaker Street site may be connected to Colt Canada. .A question regarding this address and Colt Canada’s possible involvement in the confiscation program surfaced in the House of Commons on Sept. 15, when Conservative MP Connie Cody of Cambridge, Ont., asked whether the Shoemaker Street site was operational, whether firearms were being destroyed there, and if Colt Canada had been contracted for the job.Jacques Ramsay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, responded, saying that, as of Apr. 30, 2025, 190 businesses had surrendered more than 12,000 prohibited firearms and over 14,000 parts under the program, with $13.04 million paid in compensation by July.However, Ramsay did not directly answer whether Colt Canada was involved, only saying: “Firearms businesses can also dispose of firearms through other means, for example, deactivation without compensation, export, or return to the manufacturer. Some businesses have privileges on their licences allowing them to retain firearms for purposes such as sale to police.”Runkle said he reached out to both Colt Canada and CZ for clarification, but has not received a reply..He is not the only one. TheGunBlog.ca has also reached out multiple times.Posting on X, they said, “In late December 2024 to early January 2025, we asked the Department of Public Safety, Colt Canada, and Colt CZ Group about Colt Canada's role in the firearm confiscations. Replies ranged from no response to ‘We will not comment on this matter.’”According to Runkle, some critics say it’s irrelevant who carries out the disposal of the firearms, since the government has already committed to the plan.However, Runkle disagrees, arguing that cooperating with the program is still a choice.“I don’t think that’s great logic... it really kind of absolves everybody of any kind of personal responsibility,” he said.“If you’ve got principles, you could just say no.”The federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP) has faced criticism since it was launched in 2020, when Ottawa banned more than 1,500 models of what it calls assault-style firearms.According to Ottawa, the program is voluntary.The Western Standard has reached out to both Colt Canada and Public Safety Canada for comment.
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