Nykole King
Regina Leader-Post
The Saskatchewan government is working on a plan that would allow the owners of federally-banned firearms to store the guns themselves.
It’s a pivot for the province after an earlier proposal to handle storage on owners’ behalf while they wait for the federal government to offer “fair market value” under the gun buybackprogram.
“We found an opportunity for people who are already safely storing their gun to continue to do so on their own and, as a result, become exempt from prosecution,” said Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod, who is also the minister responsible for the provincial firearms secretariat.
McLeod spoke Wednesday in Regina during the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) annual convention.
A deadline extension
The provincial government has long been opposed to the national buyback initiative. The period for individuals to declare under the federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program ends March 31.
Anyone still in possession of a prohibited gun after the expiration of the amnesty period on Oct. 30, 2026 could risk criminal charges.
Saskatchewan is essentially attempting to extend the deadline for firearms and accessories, said Blaine Beaven, the senior legal counsel for the Saskatchewan Firearms Office (SFO).
“Currently individuals are allowed to store these firearms under the amnesty order provided by the federal government when they brought these prohibitions into place. This really extends that amnesty while individuals are seeking compensation from the federal government,” Beaven said after Wednesday’s SARM bear-pit session.
McLeod outlined the government’s proposal to amend the Saskatchewan Firearms Act with The Saskatchewan Firearms Amendment Act, 2025. The revision would grant certificates of exemption that allow gun owners to retain their prohibited property.
The amendment act passed a third-and-final reading in the legislature that same day. Beaven said the change could come into force by late April.
Individuals will need to apply to the SFO for the certificate of exemption.
‘We’re using the law’
McLeod said section 117.08 of the Criminal Code provides a potential avenue for the Saskatchewan government to pursue this new plan.
It states an individual is not guilty of an offence if they are in possession of a prohibited firearm “on behalf of, and under the authority of, a police force, the Canadian Forces, a visiting force, within the meaning of section 2 of the Visiting Forces Act, or a department of the Government of Canada or of a province.”
If gun owners could keep their prohibited property until receiving fair compensation, McLeod explained, there would be “significant savings” for the province because it wouldn’t have to spend millions on renting and maintaining storage facilities.
“The Criminal Code has an exemption in it for individuals who are acting on behalf of, or for the benefit of, the province,” McLeod said.
“We’re not circumventing the law. As I said, we’re using the law.”
Premier Scott Moe, who gave an address at SARM’s convention Wednesday, assured the audience: “No one is going to show up on your doorstep and say, ‘we need to gather up your firearms.’”
While speaking to media afterward, Moe stated he doesn’t anticipate that the federal lawprohibiting some models of firearms will remain in place.
“We’re going to authorize you to store that gun for a period of time until the law is likely changed,” said Moe.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story, initially published on March 11, contained incorrect information. The Saskatchewan Firearms Amendment Act, 2025 passed a third reading in the legislature later in the day after McLeod spoke.
