Narrow cardboard boxes fill an entire wall in the fortified upstairs room at Wes Winkel’s gun store.
They contain dozens of assault-style weapons, still in their original packaging, that have been collecting dust for close to five years. Inventory that has been paid for, and remains insured, but has been banned from public sale since the spring of 2020. Dead stock that Winkel, the owner of Ellwood Epps Sporting Goods in Orillia, Ont., figures has cost him close to a quarter-million dollars.
“The prohibited inventory is a sore spot,” said Winkel, who also serves as president of the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association (CSAAA), a gun manufacturer and retailer group. “It is definitely a hit to everyone involved.”
Last week, on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre, the Trudeau government announced the start of its buyback program for assault-style firearms. Phase 1, set to commence before …