Firearms are federally regulated in Canada through the Firearms Act, the Criminal Code, and the Canadian Firearms Program, a program operated within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Regulation is largely about licensing and registration of firearms, including air guns with a muzzle velocity of more than 500 ft/s or 150 m/s and muzzle energy greater than 4.2 ft⋅lb or 5.7 J.[1] Civilian ownership and use is legal with a license issued by the RCMP, and there is generally no justification requirements. However, firearms and license holders are subject to heavy regulations, and there are many types of firearms that are classed as prohibited. Concealed carry is prohibited outside of a lawful profession (e.g. security and trapping).
Handgun registration became law in 1934, and automatic firearms registration was added in 1951. In 1969, laws classified firearms as "non-restricted", "restricted", and "prohibited". Starting in 1979, people who wished to acquire firearms were required to obtain a firearms acquisition certificate (FAC) from their local police agency. From 1995 to present, all firearms owners are required to possess a firearms licence—either a possession and acquisition licence (PAL), a possession-only licence (POL), an FAC, or a minor's licence. In April 2012, the Parliament of Canada enacted the Ending the Long-gun Registry Act to eliminate the requirement to register non-restricted firearms that had existed from 2001 to 2012.[2]
A 1996 study showed that Canada was in the mid-range of firearm ownership when compared with eight other western nations. Nearly 22% of Canadian households had at least one firearm, including 2.3% of households possessing a handgun.[3] In 2005, almost 3% of households in Canada possessed handguns, compared to 18% of U.S. households that possessed handguns.[4] Also in 2005, almost 16% of households in Canada possessed firearms of some kind.[4] As of September 2010, the Canadian Firearms Program recorded a total of 1,831,327 valid firearm licences, which is roughly 5.4% of the Canadian population. The four most licensed provinces are Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia.[5]
On May 1, 2020, in the wake of a mass killing in Nova Scotia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an immediate prohibition on around 1,500 models of "military-grade assault-style weapons", mostly semi-auto rifles, via an order in council under the authority of the Criminal Code.[6][7] This list was expanded in December 2024, adding over 300 more models as prohibited.[8] On October 21, 2022, the Government of Canada implemented a freeze on the sale and transfer of handguns with plans to introduce a gun buyback program.[9] As of January 2025, the buyback program has not yet started, reportedly due to Canada Post having concerns about employee security.[10]
- ^ "Firearms". Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
- ^ Gregg Lee Carter (2012). Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law, 2nd Edition [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law. ABC-CLIO. pp. 250–. ISBN 978-0-313-38671-8. Archived from the original on 2020-05-06. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
- ^ In a study of gun ownership in selected nations, Canada's level of gun ownership (21.8%) was similar to France's (23.8%) and Sweden's (16.6%). Of the eight countries compared, firearm ownership was highest in the United States (48.6%) and lowest in the Netherlands (2%)."Firearms in Canada and Eight Other Western Countries: Selected Findings of the 1996 International Crime (Victim) Survey" Archived 2014-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, Canada Firearms Centre. Accessed: June 11, 2014.
- ^ a b Criminal Victimisation in International Perspective Archived 2013-01-20 at the Wayback Machine, by the International Crime Victims Survey. See Table 18 on page 279.
- ^ "Facts and Figures". Rcmp-grc.gc.ca. November 1, 2010. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
- ^ "Justin Trudeau announces federal 'ban' on 'assault-style' firearms in Canada (Full transcript) - Macleans.ca". www.macleans.ca. May 2020. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Government of Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (1 May 2020). "Canada Gazette, Part 2, Volume 154, Number 3: Regulations Amending the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted". gazette.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ Canada, Public Safety (2024-12-05). "Government of Canada extends list of prohibited assault-style firearms and moves forward on regulatory changes to strengthen gun control". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
- ^ Bronskill, Jim (2022-10-21). "Canada's freeze on handgun sales now in effect". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
- ^ Leblanc, Daniel (April 23, 2024). "Canada Post refusing to collect banned guns for Ottawa's buyback program". cbc.ca. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024.