The deadline for Ottawa’s gun buyback program has passed, but gun owners still have a few more months to dispose of, or permanently deactivate, their banned assault-style firearms lest they face potential prosecution.

But how that will be enforced in the Northwest Territories is still unclear.

N.W.T. Justice Minister Jay Macdonald declined an interview with CBC News, and his office sent a written statement instead.

“We have continued to emphasize to the federal government how important it is to provide clear and direct information on this program and how it will operate in the North to all Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations within the N.W.T.,” the statement reads.

Since 2020, Ottawa has banned about 2,500 “assault-style” firearms, saying they are largely designed for warfare and not hunting or sport shooting. Individuals had until March 31 to declare eligible prohibited firearms and collect compensation under the buyback program. 

Now, owners of banned firearms must dispose of or deactivate the weapons before Oct. 30 or they risk criminal liability for illegally possessing a prohibited firearm.

The N.W.T. government says it cannot speak to how the program will be enforced and pointed to Public Safety Canada for details on legal punishments surrounding the mandate.

In his statement, Macdonald suggested that police in the territory are already busy. The territorial government said earlier this year that RCMP in the territory would not be involved in the buyback program.

“We believe RCMP resources must remain focused on core policing responsibilities, particularly given the significant pressures many of our communities are facing,” he said.

CBC News asked RCMP whether police have a record of registered firearms in the N.W.T., and if they would know the names of people with newly-prohibited firearms.

The Mounties’ national headquarters responded that it “maintains records of individuals that possessed previously registered assault-style firearms that became prohibited in 2020, 2024 and 2025.”

But, since minister Macdonald confirmed the territory’s police division won’t partake in Ottawa’s program, it’s unclear who would enforce the firearms ban.

His office says Public Safety Canada is providing funding for RCMP reservists (former police officers working on a contract) to collect declared guns under the compensation program.

CBC News asked the federal branch for comment on this, but did not hear back before deadline.

Number of firearms declared locally ‘a drop in the bucket’

The federal public safety minister’s office says more than 67,000 assault-style firearms have been declared by firearm owners across Canada. That’s just under half of the 136,000 firearms the government had budgeted for when it set aside nearly $250 million for the buyback program.

Public Safety Canada estimates the number of assault-style firearms in the country is 180,000. It says that figure is based on the known number of previously registered firearms that are now prohibited and on projected numbers of assault-style firearms that were previously non-restricted and would be present in the Canadian market.

The N.W.T. declared 81 firearms during the buyback period.

To Jonathan Rocheleau, president of the Yellowknife Shooting Club, that’s “a drop in the bucket,” based on what he knows about firearms in the territory.

“I would say it was ineffective,” he said, of the buyback program.

Noah Schwartz is an assistant professor in political science at the University of the Fraser Valley and the author of Targeted, a book which explores Canadian gun culture. He also says that the 81 firearms declared in the N.W.T. doesn’t amount to much.

“That’s a pretty small number when you consider the firearm ownership in the North is, as a percentage of the population, higher than other parts of the country,” he said.

Schwartz believes the program is something the Carney government just wants to get out of the way.

“This is something that they’ve been saddled with, but they see the political costs of turning back to be too high. So I think they want to have this over and done with.”