The federal government expanded its ban on firearms on Thursday, adding 324 makes and models of guns to the prohibited weapons list, and lawful gun owners in Alberta feel they’re being unnecessarily targeted.
The move follows the May 2020 ban of 1,500 makes and models of firearms, including the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14. The number grew to more than 2,000 by November of this year as new variants were identified.
The federal government says it is working with provinces, territories and police on a planned buyback of prohibited weapons from individual owners. It has already run a pilot project on collecting banned firearms from businesses.
Lethbridge’s Justin Thomson was one of three Canadians who were hand-picked to compete in the World Pistol Caliber Carbine (PCC) Competition in the Czech Republic next spring, but with the new ban in place, he can no longer practice and is now unsure if he will be able to compete.
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