‘Our weapons are not for sale!’ Protesters target Ottawa’s gun buyback program
Written by The Canadian Press on February 28, 2026
QUÉBEC — Several thousand protesters in Quebec City are demanding the provincial government withdraw from a federal gun buyback program.
Chanting a message that their “guns are not for sale,” the demonstrators accuse Ottawa of unfairly targeting law-abiding firearms owners.
Sophie Béland, who heads the Quebec chapter of the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights, says the province is the only one to agree to the buyback.
Stéphane Bacon, who travelled with his wife to the provincial capital from Montreal to demonstrate at the National Assembly, says mental health is the problem, not firearms themselves.
Owners of banned firearms have until the end of March to declare interest in a federal program offering compensation for turning in or permanently deactivating their guns.
Since May 2020, Ottawa has outlawed about 2,500 types of guns, including the AR-15, on the basis they belong only on the battlefield.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2026.
The Canadian Press