NAWL Statement on Amnesty Extension for Prohibited Assault-Style Firearms

Anishinaabe Territory / Ottawa, June 9, 2026 – The National Association of Women and the Law is deeply disappointed by the federal government’s decision to extend the amnesty period for prohibited assault-style firearms until 90 days after the Supreme Court rules on an appeal challenging the May 2020 prohibition of assault-style firearms.

In 2023, NAWL convened the #Women4GunControl coalition to support, alongside other women’s rights organizations, a ban on all assault-style firearms and highlight gendered implications of gun control policy that were often absent from public debate. NAWL also supported and influenced measures to address intimate partner gun violence in former Bill C-21, adopted in December 2023.

Virtually no progress has been made on various commitments by the federal government to address loopholes and implementing policies associated with former Bill C-21. In particular, the government continues to delay implementing life-saving protections for victims of domestic violence, by not adopting enabling regulations that would make all people who are subject to a protection order ineligible to hold a firearms license.

Gun control is a feminist issue, since access to guns is a primary risk factor for armed violence, including femicide. Research has shown that the presence of firearms in a household where there is intimate partner violence significantly increases the risk that the woman will be killed. Rural women are particularly vulnerable to firearm-related intimate partner violence.

Assault-style firearms, which are designed for military use and have no legitimate civilian purpose, are a direct threat to the safety and security of women and girls. The antifeminist Polytechnique massacre is an infamous example, and mass shootings also occur in the context of family violence. Assault-style firearms are capable of firing a high number of rounds rapidly and can cause devastating harm to individuals and communities. Research from the U.S. shows that attacks involving semi-automatic firearms with large capacity magazines result in a much higher average death toll and that banning these devices significantly reduces the number of mass-shootings.

Today’s announcement is another example of the government’s delays and backtracking. It is puzzling that the government chose not to let the Supreme Court weigh in on the merits of an eventual injunction, and extended the new amnesty period beyond the date of its decision on the merits of the case.

The government has a duty to advance the safety of all Canadians and fulfil its promises and commitments, including enforcing its laws and regulations.