The Trudeau government has awarded a contract to IBM Canada to support the development, design and implementation of a buyback program for recently prohibited firearms.

The contract is worth almost $1.2 million.

The Liberals outlawed a wide range of firearms in early May, saying the guns were designed for the battlefield, not hunting or sport shooting.

The ban covers some 1,500 models and variants of what the government considers assault-style firearms, meaning they can no longer be legally used, sold or imported.

In announcing the ban, the government proposed a program that would allow current owners to receive compensation for turning in the designated firearms.

While gun-control groups applauded the move, sport shooters, firearm rights advocates and some Conservative MPs questioned the value of the measures.