Conflicts with gun owners asked to give up weapons could put workers at risk, says postal service
Canada Post does not want its workers collecting firearms that were banned by the federal government in 2020.
The decision is based on concerns about its employees' security, CBC reported, citing federal sources who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
One key concern for the postal service is the possibility of staff conflicts with gun owners who have been asked to give up their "assault" or "military-style" weapons, which can no longer be used or sold in Canada, according to the report.
In January, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) told police officers not to point their guns at employees.
Is Canada buying back guns?
The federal government has said it would offer between $1,300 and $6,200 to owners of banned firearms in exchange for their weapons under its Firearms Buyback Program; Ottawa announced the buyback program in 2020.
And using the postal service would be the "most efficient" and "least costly" way to recover banned weapons, federal officials said, according to the CBC report.
Under Ottawa's plan, owners of banned guns will place their unloaded and secured weapons in government-issued boxes and then send them back to the government to be destroyed. The owners would then be financially compensated.
Canada Post’s refusal to receive the weapons puzzles the federal government, especially since the corporation already delivers guns that are sold online, according to the report.
Still, “discussion” with Canada Post is ongoing, sources told CBC. One possible compromise would see Canada Post transporting the weapons without taking charge of receiving them.
"It's a challenge, but we do not think this jeopardizes our timetable or the government's desire to move forward," said one of the federal sources, according to CBC. "We want the discussions to continue."
A former Starbucks employee in the U.S. who thwarted an attempted robbery at one of the coffee giant's chains has launched a legal action after his employer fired him weeks after the incident. The worker said the guns used by one of the robbers were fake, which drove him to fight back.
