OTTAWA — A leading gun-control organization is urging the Canadian government to ban the semi-automatic SKS rifle as part of its buyback program for assault-style firearms. The group argues that without this prohibition, the buyback initiative will be ineffective and a misuse of taxpayer funds.

Since May 2020, the Canadian government has prohibited around 2,500 types of firearms, stating they are more suited for battle than for hunting or sport shooting. The government plans to announce further details about the buyback program on Tuesday, which aims to compensate owners of the outlawed firearms fairly.

However, the SKS rifle remains legal. It is frequently used in Indigenous communities for hunting purposes. The SKS has also been involved in several high-profile incidents, including police shootings. PolySeSouvient, an organization formed after the 1989 mass shooting at Montreal’s École Polytechnique, claims that allowing the SKS to remain in circulation poses a significant public safety risk.

The group is calling for an immediate ban on new sales of the SKS, the removal of modern assault-style versions from circulation, and a voluntary buyback program for older models. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced on Sunday that the government would soon reveal the next phase of the buyback program, which will include a pilot initiative in Nova Scotia. A news conference is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon on Parliament Hill.

In a statement, PolySeSouvient emphasized that as long as the SKS is not banned, Canada will not have a comprehensive prohibition on assault-style weapons. The group warned that new SKS models could replace other firearms that have been outlawed, leading to a cycle of ineffective regulation.

“Nothing will change in the long run, other than a waste of hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars,” PolySeSouvient stated. “Much of the buyback money will be injected into the gun industry, making manufacturers richer and the gun lobby stronger.”