Adam MacIntosh says they are still able to take firearms off the street without implementing the program.
Kingston's Chief of Police says the cost of the federal gun buyback to municipal police forces was the main reason Kingston Police Service are not participating.
Adam MacIntosh says there were other reasons that led to the decision to opt-out of the program.
KPS released a statement on Feb 13 about their decision to not participate saying they had concerns over the program’s design, implementation, and public safety priorities.
MacIntosh says residents can still voluntary surrender their firearms to police.
MacIntosh says public safety remains their top priority and that includes getting guns that are used in crime off the street.
Other police forces across Canada are also not participating in the federal gun buyback program. A statement from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police says the federal gun buyback program was more of an administrative function rather than a core police one.
Story by Ken Hashizume
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