The Liberal government says it’s learned some lessons after a pilot project to buy outlawed assault-style firearms from owners yielded a low uptake. 

Since 2020, Ottawa has banned some 2,500 makes and models of assault-style firearms, arguing they are designed for warfare — not hunters and sport shooters.

The decision saw backlash from the Opposition Conservatives and firearms-rights groups. The government has pointed to its plan to buy back those guns as a way to fairly compensate owners.

This fall, a six-week pilot project testing how that process will work was launched in the Cape Breton region of Nova Scotia. At the onset, officials were confident they would collect some 200 outlawed assault-style firearms.

Instead, just 25 were collected and destroyed, the Department of Public Safety revealed Wednesday. 

“It was an opportunity to test the program’s processes and systems, confirm what works well and identify and address any potential gaps or challenges before the program opens nationwide,” said Simon Lafortune, spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangare, in a statement.

The government said there were a number of “lessons learned,” including the need for a clearer registration process and more instructions.

The pilot also flagged some “functional gaps” in the way the online portal worked “which may have been challenging and confusing for some participants in the program,” said the statement.

The government also announced Wednesday it will provide up to $12.4 million to cover costs incurred by Quebec to run the buyback program in the province.

Quebec Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said in a statement the province supports the federal program, calling it a step toward safer communities.

The amnesty period for possessing the banned guns has been extended several times. The latest deadline is Oct. 30, 2026.