Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program Pilot: Lessons learned
A small-scale pilot of the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (ASFCP) for individuals took place over 6 weeks in the fall of 2025. A location was selected based on its limited number of Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) holders and estimated firearms. 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 nation-wide.
Individual licence holders in the area received information on how to take part in the pilot. These individuals were given access to detailed web content on how to participate, as well as a dedicated call centre to provide support and non-digital information as required.
Various stages of the program were thoroughly tested and completed during the pilot including:
- Accounts created by individual owners in the online web portal and various prohibited firearms declared
- Collection appointments booked and firearms turned in at participating police of jurisdiction
- Firearm validation and destruction were carried out as planned
- Payments issued to all participants eligible for compensation during the pilot
A total of 25 prohibited firearms were collected and destroyed.
Lessons learned
The pilot provided an important opportunity to gather valuable information from participants and partners on improving the participant experience and functioning of the program:
- A clearer registration process will help facilitate participation. The registration experience has been improved for individuals by providing more detailed instructions and clearer messaging when they are creating their program account in the online portal. Instructions have been clarified, and a tutorial video has been developed
- In order to efficiently test the program, pilot participants had a relatively short period of time between the announcement and notification of the ASFCP pilot in their area and the deadline to signal their interest and declare their prohibited firearms. A significantly longer declaration period will be in place for the nation-wide launch of the program
- Some functional gaps were identified in the online portal, which may have been challenging and confusing for some participants in the program. Fixes have been implemented, such as making it easier for individuals to retrieve compensation information from the drop down menus when declaring their firearms
- The pilot demonstrated that clearer and more timely instructions are required to facilitate participation. The delivery and content of program-related instructions for participants is being reviewed to ensure messages are clear, concise and timely. Delivery of some instructions are being automated such as what to do when arriving at a collection point
- The pilot confirmed that factual, consistent information on how the program works, what individuals can expect if they choose to participate, and legal requirements to comply with the prohibition must be readily available and up-to-date. These elements are key to facilitating participation in the program. Instructional content on the program website and online portal will be provided when the nation-wide declaration period begins. Individuals will also continue to be supported by a dedicated call centre and have access to non-digital information as required