Canadian gun laws... a Primer

[OldSchooler]

This from my friend Peter, in Newfoundland, Canada:

Its more restrictive than you folks in the US but its not too bad I suppose.
Most of the restrictions are on handguns and assault type weapons.

With any firearms, you have to do a safety course. With rifles, once I have
completed that course, I can just walk into a gun store and walk out with
the rifle. With handguns, there is another course (on top of the first one).
If I want to buy a handgun, I have to "apply" to the Chief Fireams Office
for my province, and I have to be a member of a range (or a collector which
they are starting to crack down on).

Once approved, I have to apply for an ATT (authorization to transport) in order to transport that handgun anywhere. I need an ATT to take it to the range. If it needs repair, I need
an ATT to take it to the gunsmith. I cannot travel with it anywhere outside
of the areas on the ATT. There's also strict rules around how it can be
transported and stored (locked up like Fort Knoxx).

There is no concealed carry here. Also, there are certain types of weapons that most of us just
can't have. For example, a handgun with a barrel shorter than 4.25 inches or a automatic weapon (you need a special license for those that isn't available anymore so some folks have it but most younger guys do not).

So it is fairly restrictive, but not too bad I suppose.

I currently have about 6 rifles and 2 handguns. There is no limit on how many you can own. I
could have as many handguns as I wanted legally but they can only be used at the range and cannot be carried on your person off the range. With rifles, its only at the range unless there is some game in season and you have a license to hunt it (very easy to obtain) and then its pretty much do and go where you like with it.

MY response:
As always, it boils down the elitist/socialist mantra of control:
"I know what's best for you. If you want it, you must ask for my permission and approval on my terms."
'Mommy, may I?', in other words.

Personally, I've outgrown the need for my mommy's approval. I gained personal responsibility when I grew up - a rapidly fading ideal in our society at large. In the end, I suspect this is where we are headed.

 

[Dumby]

I just did my unrestricted gun course last saturday and passed! Now I'm waiting to do the optional restricted course so I can purchase handguns also...to those who believe that it's incredibly hard to obtain guns and permits in Canada I find is a rather misleading statement. Maybe in regards to the USA however, it is easier to get a P.A.L.(Posession Aquisition Liscence) than a driver's liscence, which takes a minimum of eight months as opposed to one day of training and a 28 day waiting period.

 

[island]

Actually, the overview above, while accurate, missed one critical point:

According to section 91 and 92 of the criminal code of Canada, *all* firearms are illegal. It then goes on to say that you can (if you qualify) get a license to exempt you from this illegality. Said license may be revoked, made impossible to obtain, or too expensive to obtain essentially at whim of a bureaucrat (e.g. it does *not* require an act of parliament to change the regulations at any time). Any firearm (or all, conceivably) may be added to the "prohibited list" at any time, again without recourse to elected officials.

This is, IMO, the heart of the problem with the legalities of firearms in Canada - the rest is window dressing and minor inconveniences, basically, even the much-hated firearms registry.

We all had a close call recently, with the leader of one of the major political parties (the ruling party at the time) declaring he would ban all handguns if elected. He easily could, and the registry would simply provide an easy list of who to confiscate from.

There is hope of improvement, but just wanted to explain all the gory details

 

[BruceB]

"....NOT TOO BAD"???

"So it's fairly restrictive, but not too bad, I suppose."

Good Grief, man!

There is NO legal carry of handguns in Canada unless you're a cop or guard or some such, and even then you can't carry off-duty.

There is NO legal informal "gravel-pit" plinking, nor any hunting with handguns in Canada.

The ONLY way to fire your FEDERALLY-REGISTERED handgun legally in Canada is to be at a government approved range, AFTER you get there with handguns locked in a box, AND trigger-locked, AND with the ammunition locked in a separate box, AND with the government permit in hand, AND after following the approved route, AND maybe within certain hours or days of the week.

Those in rural areas may be hundreds of miles from an "approved range".... but many folks in rural Canada IGNORE the stupid laws...I know I did, but why should people who do no harm whatever have to place themselves in criminal jeopardy to use their handguns in harmless pursuits??

Does this sound familiar? "A restricted weapon may only be loaded when in a location where it is legal to discharge the weapon." That's Canadian LAW. Not at home, for instance, and "self defence" is NOT a valid reason for obtaining a handgun (you have to say "why" you want a particular gun at the time of applying for PERMISSION to purchase, and permission might be refused for any number of reasons.)

You can't even buy ammunition without showing a government-issued ID for the purpose. You can't borrow a gun from your brother or friend for a month or two, without going through the police for a "borrowing permit". You have to "show cause" every five years to justify your continued ownership of your own property (handguns)!!!!

I lived for fifty years under the asinine Canadian firearms laws, and the latest batch of 1995 were very instrumental in pushing me to emigrate to the USA.

Here in Nevada:

-there's NO registration of firearms

-there's shall-issue concealed carry

-there are no regulations about where to shoot, beyond the obvious requirement of safety

-there are no government-mandated storage rules for guns or ammunition

-I can carry a loaded handgun openly without a permit of any kind, downtown, on the land, wherever

-I can go to a friends house (or a stranger's house, for that matter) and buy or sell a handgun or long gun with NO paperwork, registrations or restrictions

-Buying from a dealer, I fill out one form, give him the money, and leave with my new gun. The dealer retains possession of the single form (no centralized records kept). Since I have a concealed-carry permit, there's no call required for an instant check for a disqualifying criminal record.

The successive Canadian governments, both Liberal and Conservative, have been trying to legislate shooting and gun ownership out of existence in your country, and have progressed a long way down that path.

"..but not too bad, I suppose." HAH! Yes, it IS bad!!! It's just that Canadians are so used to the horrendous burdens that they simply have no concept of what it is to use firearms as THEY wish, not in obedience to hundreds of purposely-dense, obstructive government rules.....which do NO GOOD WHATSOEVER!

Open your eyes, friends.

 

[Glock_10mm]

I lived up in Toronto for several years and do go back and forth. The laws may have changed since I last knew them (its been a few years since I brushed up), but here is what I remember.

What makes it hard, is that if you want a handgun, you have to pass a background style check in every province before being 'eligible'. From what my friends have told me (I was American and never tried), it takes a long time to process all of the requests and can in some cases take between 6-9 months, and if one fail for whatever reason, you have to start all over. I dont know if this is the norm, but it was what I was told. Shotguns and hunting rifles are easier. If your record is clear, its more a long term formality then anything (think NFA). They also have a huge restrictions on weapons (think California X 10). Here is a list of restricted and prohibited. The prohibited (HK, AK, etc) you cannot own under any circumstances, the prohibited, you have to jump through all kinds of hoops for. Its much different down here (Florida), as I can walk into a store and walk out with an HK G3 ' assult rifle' with a 30 round magazine fifteen minutes later, not even requiring a background check thanks to my ccw. If you dont have a CCW, it just requires a 5 minute check, then your free to walk out with it. Up there I couldnt even buy that rifle...period!

In Canada on most rifles it is illegal to have a magazine larger than 5 capacity or a handgun larger than 10!

I read an article in Oakville, Ontario where a guy stole a cement (or dump) truck and crashed through a wall of a gun store to then be able to run away with a five shot rifle and no ammo! That's desparate!

The guns per capita in Canada is 25%, where as guns per capita in the USA is 85%! That means that is every gun is evenly distributed throughout the population, one in four Canadians has a gun, but more than 4 in 5 Americans have a gun. Thats a big difference! Also, every 10 seconds a new gun is made in the USA. The US is up to 200 Million guns and counting. In Canada there are around 7.5 Million. Not trying to prove anything here, just showing that the laws and the mentalities are somewhat different and are represented in the figures.

Also fully automatic weapons are strictly prohibited in Canada.

The biggest reform Canada has made of late, is not requiring (or prosecuting) owners of long guns to register them. This is new as of 2006, and a step in a good direction. They did a study of their registration program and found most violent crimes comitted with guns were either stolen or illegally imported/made. It went to show how the registration program, though a good idea in theory, had little, if any impact on the crime rate. You can read one of the articles here.

PS Island -Did Trudeau make that handgun statement about banning all handguns? Just wondering as he is also the one who claimed he should be allowed to carry a handgun for protection. If so just read this

 

[island]

PS Island -Did Trudeau make that handgun statement about banning all handguns? Just wondering as he is also the one who claimed he should be allowed to carry a handgun for protection.

No, it was Paul Martin, the ex (I'm pleased to say) prime minister. He said it just a few months ago (December, to be exact), just before the national election. The new government is ever so slightly less hostile to firearms owners - I wouldn't go so far as to call it "friendly".

And yes, if you're a "big wheel" I believe the chances of getting a rare type of "ATC" (authorization to carry, kind of like a CCW) go up a bit, it's just us peons whose lives aren't worth protecting. Unless of course you're carrying money for a living - that's worth protection, apparently.

 

[TallPine]

what about black powder muzzle loading rifles and cap & ball pistols in Canada...?

 

[The Drew]

If you really get down to the crux of the matter, Canada isn't really any more restrictive than NJ. In reality the US is really a state by state matter. We don't intrinsically have it good here in the US as a whole, It depends on what state you're in...

 

[carnaby]

There is no concealed carry here.

Not exactly true. If you go to packing.org, you will see that there is concealed carry for Canada's uber elite.

 

[Banta]

It's funny. Before I applied for and received my "Restricted" firearms license I was under the impression that it was really tough etc. etc. I now realize that it isn't even remotely as hard as it is made out to be. I took the multiple choice test, piece of cake, passed with 100% (with questions like "You should always point a loaded gun A: away from someone or B: At someone") I chose A. I than applied for the license (background check etc.) which took less than one month. I than went shopping for my first handgun. I picked one out, called the firearms center 2 days later and it was a done deal. Transfer completed. Asked for the ATT, no problem they said, they faxed it to me and I was off to the range on the weekend. More paperwork than the US? Yes but tell me what non 3rd world country is easier to own firearms than the US? We always compare our laws to the laws of the States. When we compare our laws to Britain, Australia, etc. ours are alot less restrictive.

 

[carnaby]

But not being able to carry openly or concealed? Not worth it. I left four years ago never to return.

 

[Stand_Watie]

More paperwork than the US? Yes but tell me what non 3rd world country is easier to own firearms than the US? We always compare our laws to the laws of the States. When we compare our laws to Britain, Australia, etc. ours are alot less restrictive

I agree with the facts you've presented in your post, however, for the purpose of firearms law, I think it would be fairer to look at the U.S. on a state by state basis, rather than as a single entity. The states vary, and some are nearly as (if not as) restrictive as Canada.

The flip side of your thesis is that if what the anti-gunners say is true (that less restrictive gun laws cause crime), Canada should have more crime than almost every other developed nation outside the US.

 

[SAG0282]

But not being able to carry openly or concealed? Not worth it. I left four years ago never to return.

My thoughts exactly. Many people envy the Swiss for their ability to have all manner of nifty rifles and subguns unavailable here, but I prefer US gun laws that allow for CCW and would take a mere SIG or GLOCK over an MP5 if it meant I could carry the former.

Every NFA item in the world wouldnt do my family and I any good locked in the safe if I needed deadly force. A concealed, readily available handgun would.

Canada does have it a lot better then many other countries, but without CCW I dont consider the laws even remotely close to being acceptable in my eyes. Hopefully reform will come soon.