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 after completing after applying for a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) or a Restricted Possession and Acquisition Licence (RPAL) issued by the RCMP. For PALs there is generally no justification requirements beyond not posing a risk to public safety, RPALs (which are required for handguns and short-barrled semi-automatic rifles) require either gun club membership, demonstration of sufficient firearms knowledge, or a professional carry authorisation. In either case, the licence can be denied to individuals with criminal convictions, mental health problems, a history of drug abuse or domestic violence. Buying or transporting a firearm without a PAL licence is a crime that carries a prison sentence.
Concealed carry is prohibited outside of a lawful profession (e.g. security, trapping). Open carry of non-restricted rifles is only permitted on hunting grounds in accordance with the law. Hunting with a restricted firearm (which includes handguns) is prohibited.
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.
- ^ Carter, Gregg Lee (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)". Maclean's. May 1, 2020. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted, SOR/2020-96
- ^ 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 News. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024.