Ottawa extends firearms amnesty until 90 days after Supreme Court rules on ban challenge

Canada's federal government has extended an amnesty protecting owners of prohibited firearms, linking the grace period directly to the Supreme Court of Canada's forthcoming ruling on a legal challenge to the ban. The extension means owners will not face prosecution for possessing the affected weapons until 90 days after the court delivers its decision, which is not expected until sometime in 2025.

The amnesty covers Canadians who own handguns and assault-style firearms that were prohibited under regulations brought in by the previous Liberal government. Rather than setting a fixed calendar deadline, Ottawa has now tied the amnesty's expiry to the judicial process, effectively suspending enforcement of the ban while its constitutional validity remains before the country's highest court.

The Supreme Court's decision to hear the challenge marks a significant development in a policy that has faced repeated legal and political obstacles since it was introduced. By accepting the case, the court has signalled it will weigh in on whether the federal government had the authority to prohibit those weapons through order-in-council rather than full parliamentary legislation.

The National Post characterised the extension as the latest hurdle in what it described as a long-delayed and controversial policy, framing the amnesty as a further setback for gun-control measures that have faced sustained resistance. The Globe and Mail, by contrast, presented the move in more neutral procedural terms, describing it as a practical step to allow the legal battle to play out before enforcement resumes.

Gun-rights advocates and opposition critics have argued the original ban was imposed without adequate parliamentary oversight, a concern that sits at the heart of the Supreme Court challenge. Supporters of the prohibition contend that the weapons targeted pose unacceptable public-safety risks and that the government acted within its existing regulatory powers.

The ban has been in legal and political limbo for several years, with successive amnesties delaying enforcement while court challenges worked their way through the system. The Supreme Court's agreement to hear the case brings the dispute to its final judicial venue, and its ruling will be binding on lower courts and the government alike.

Until the court rules and the 90-day window closes, owners of the affected firearms face no criminal jeopardy for simple possession. What remains unclear is whether the government would move swiftly to implement confiscation or a buyback program should it ultimately prevail, or whether further legislative steps would be required.

The ruling, when it arrives, could either validate the federal government's authority to ban the weapons by regulation or force Ottawa to seek a full parliamentary mandate — a process that would face an uncertain path given the current political composition of the House of Commons.