The Guelph Police Service announced on February 27, 2026, that it will not act as a collection site for the federal government’s program to pay owners for banned weapons. This means that while people in Guelph, Ontario, can still hand over prohibited firearms to local officers to be destroyed, they will not receive any money through the police department for doing so.
The decision follows similar moves by other major police forces across the province that have declined to use their staff for the federal buyback initiative. Local police leaders say their priority is focusing on frontline safety and stopping illegal gun activities rather than handling administrative tasks for the government.
Gun owners who want to get paid for their firearms must register for the federal compensation program by March 31, 2026. Anyone who misses this window or gives their weapon directly to local police will lose the cash value of the property.
There is a final deadline of October 30, 2026, for residents to either get rid of or permanently disable any restricted firearms they still own. People who keep these banned weapons past that date could face criminal charges and up to 14 years in prison.
On February 25, 2026, just before this announcement, local officers seized a .22-calibre rifle during a criminal investigation. Chief Gord Cobey noted that the service is committed to disrupting illegal gun use in the community rather than managing the paperwork for the federal payment program.
