OACP Statement on Federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program

For Immediate Release: October 1, 2025

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) has reviewed the Government of Canada’s proposed Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASCFP) and continues to have serious concerns about its design and implementation.

While we appreciate recent engagement with Public Safety Canada and recognize the government’s stated goal of removing firearms that pose a public safety risk, our members remain clear: this program is not a policing or public safety priority in Ontario.

Key concerns include:

• Proof of Concept – The Cape Breton pilot has not shown it can be replicated or scaled in Ontario.
• Clarity & Communication – Police services need clear procedures, and gun owners need a designated government contact. These responsibilities cannot fall to front-line officers.
• Resources & Capacity – Ontario police are already stretched, dealing with violent crime, illegal guns, and social crises such as homelessness, addictions, and mental health. Funding alone does not create the capacity this program would require.
• Public Safety Priorities – Evidence shows crime guns in Ontario are overwhelmingly smuggled across the border, not owned by law-abiding residents. Communities expect us to focus on serious violent offenders—the real public safety threat.

For these reasons, the OACP cannot endorse the ASCFP and will not facilitate outreach to municipal or Indigenous police services. The Ontario government has stated it will not support the program, and participation will ultimately be up to each local police service and its Police Service Board. Participation by municipal or Indigenous police services will be a matter for each service and its Police Service Board to decide.

Ontario’s police leaders remain committed to working with governments on evidence-based strategies that reduce violence and strengthen community safety.

For more information, please contact: 

Dr. José Luís (Joe) Couto
Director of Government Relations & Communications
T. (416) 919-9798
 E. jcouto@oacp.ca 

Members of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police serve their communities as the senior police leaders in municipal, regional, provincial, national, and  Indigenous police services across Ontario