Explanation of Canadian Gun Laws

[Pure Energy]

Well, I have had a few questions about some of the guns I own, being a Canadian member, so I will give the low down on our firearms situation.

To start off there are three licence classes in Canada and 7 subclasses. I have my non-restricted and restricted licence. The first and most basic is your non-restriced class, this allows you to own long guns (shotguns and rifles.)

Second class is restricted. This allows one to own pistols with a barrel length of 4.01 inches or more. Mostly this class is for pistols but also included in this are AR15s. AR's and other "black" rifles are in this class because the idiots who made up the law decided they were too scary for some people.

Last class is prohibited. To have a prohib licence you must have had a firearm now described as prohibited registered before December 1, 1998. Sadly I was not old enough to ever acquire this class and I can now never own prohibs. The subclasses are here there is 12 (2/3/4/5/6/6.1/7)

12(2) means full automatics.
12(3) means converted automatics.
12(4) means firearms prohibited by former prohibition order No. 12. You can find out which firearms are in this category on the fact sheet listing restricted and prohibited firearms.
12(5) means firearms prohibited by former prohibition order No 13. These, too, are listed in the fact sheet listing restricted and prohibited firearms.
12(6) means handguns with a barrel length of 105 mm or less or that discharge .25 or .32 calibre ammunition. On licences issued on or after April 10, 2005, these firearms will be referred to as 12(6.1) firearms.

Class 12(7) is a firearm that is prohibited but was made before 1945 and was willed to an immediate family member.


Hope this clears some things up. BTW, I like the site, lots of active members, looks good.

 

[Walter]

I was once detained by the Canadian "customs"? agents
for several hours for no reason other than I was driving a pick-up truck with Texas license plates.
They proceeded to take the truck apart, and repeatedly ask me if I owned
guns, and how many did I own, and did I have any with me.

I think the U.S should just annex Canada, and do away with that
problem.

Socialist

Walter

 

[Prince Yamato]

The are a couple cool things about Canadian gun laws. For instance, you can still have firearms mailed to your residence alla USA pre-1968. You can own pistols with a forward grip or a buttstock and they're treated as pistols, not AOWs or any crap like that. And if I read the Marstar site correctly, you can own short barreled shotguns without any special NFA taxes.

Ooh... I almost forgot, you can buy Norinco products...sigh

Other than that the gun laws are quite restrictive.

 

[Manedwolf]

Postal service? That's what UPS is for.

I'd rather have freedom than have those little conveniences.

And as for buying new Norinco products, I'd rather not fund the PRC Red Army that we might be fighting someday, thanks. Go watch Tiannamen again, go watch some video of their troops beating peaceful protesters and dragging them off to work gulags, and see if you still want to give them your money.

 

[Prince Yamato]

No, I mean you don't have to get your firearm shipped to an FFL. It can come straight to your door.

 

[benEzra]

Pure Energy,

Do you have capacity limits up there? We have a few politicians down here trying to legislate pre-1861 capacity limits on civilian firearms, and I was thinking that you guys might have already been down that road.

Is it 10 for handguns, 5 for rifles, except for pistol-caliber carbines?

 

[Mr White]

I was up in Canada last spring for a Boy Scout camporee, and one observation I had, which was confirmed by a Canadian LEO I met there is that anti-gun indoctrination and propaganda is much more prevalent and organized than it is here.

Do you see that, Pure Energy?

 

[SixForSure]

and repeatedly ask me if I owned
guns, and how many did I own, and did I have any with me.

The answer would be: None of your business, none of your business, and no.

 

[SDC]

Pure Energy,

Do you have capacity limits up there? We have a few politicians down here trying to legislate pre-1861 capacity limits on civilian firearms, and I was thinking that you guys might have already been down that road.

Is it 10 for handguns, 5 for rifles, except for pistol-caliber carbines?

Yes; semi-auto longarms (except for rimfires) have to be restricted to 5 rounds or less, but pump or lever-actions aren't covered. Therefore, a 10-round 870 is perfectly legal, but an 1100 has to be restricted to no more than 5.

 

[SDC]

I was up in Canada last spring for a Boy Scout camporee, and one observation I had, which was confirmed by a Canadian LEO I met there is that anti-gun indoctrination and propaganda is much more prevalent and organized than it is here.

I definitely see it, but it's hard to tell how much of it is deliberate as opposed to simple ignorance; the talking heads (and for that matter, the trained seals/politicians who PASS these laws) often couldn't tell you what the laws are in the first place, so their first inclination is "Well, someone ought to pass a law..." when something happens with a firearm.

 

[canuck63]

Hi guys,
I've just registered here and being this my first post I reckon I've chosen the right thread !
I'm a Canadian citizen living in Italy since the early 70s and take it for me....if Canadian laws sound restrictive to say the least,Italian ones, as far as firearms are concerned are so draconian they really s#x;as en example if you're caught with a round of a certain caliber and you ain't got any declared weapons chambered for it,you'll have a hard time explaining the LEOs that you're not hiding any guns...yeah,right...they'd think that if you have THAT round you may have the gun(s) firing it stashed somewhere along with more ammo,and as a result they'd hook you up straightaway;for weapons-related crimes,be they armed robbery or being caught with a non-declared round in your pocket or going to the range WO your licence because you've left it back at home,you'll see handcuffs a-plenty,while there won't be any you're caught by a patrol an hour or so after raping your neighbor's granny,torturing her pooch,beating her one-legged personal trainer and burning her car all at the same time,and as sad as it may seems, in Italy you're guilty until you can prove the prosecutors wrong (it should be the other way 'round,i.e. you're innocent until proved guilty!)...and that could be kinda hard from inside a prison cell!
I could tell you stories that would make your hair rise,like the one about a guy who stood trial because he used up the ammo he declared (you've got to declare the ammo you keep at home and you cannot keep more than a certain quantity!) and forgot to "replenish"...logic would have it that if you're allowed to keep 200 rounds and you have 201 then you're wrong...not so if you have 136 !What about the story about a man who bought a 12ga shotgun with a spare barrel which had a lot # stamped on it and who got arrested because the LEOs thought that that barrel had to be declared with THAT number,which they (wrongly!) tought it was a serial No., instead of merely being declared by its owner as a "spare barrel" that came with the shotgun without mention to that number?In this case the judges were wise men who declared this man innocent and released him fasterthanthis!
Walter...you sure you hadn't lost yourself and ended up in Italy mate?
Whatever...we can say we're lucky because we're allowed to own an unlimited number of "hunting" rifles (a rifle whose caliber is not a rimfire is to be considered a "hunting" weapon,therefore my Sako TRG22,my 30-06 Garand,my 8x57JS K98k aso are "hunting" rifles ) and up to nine handguns(or 22LR weapons),of which a maximum of 6 can be "sporting" handguns( or 22LR weapons)while the other three are the so-called,(in)famous "common" guns(or more 22LR weapons),and if you consider that a .45 APC Para Ordnance is a "sporting" handgun in its SS livery while it's considered "common" in blue (or vice-versa!) things may start sounding quite confusing !

 

[JackM]

UPS. Surely you jest. That's the American outfit that promises delivery to your door, but dumps it off with some other tranfer company, which charges you for shipping too, and nearest depot is half a tank of gas away.

 

[sicario103]

Posted by Manedwolf

And as for buying new Norinco products, I'd rather not fund the PRC Red Army that we might be fighting someday, thanks. Go watch Tiannamen again, go watch some video of their troops beating peaceful protesters and dragging them off to work gulags, and see if you still want to give them your money.

That's just ridiculous. This is not elementary school, "oh you pinched me, I'll hate you forever". If that's the mentality, then you might as well boycott Japanese and a number of European car and gun manufacturers 'cause if you missed it, they made guns and planes in WW2 for the "evil" Nazi empire. And also don't give any money to the Middle East and South America, so boycott their oil. Tiannamen Square? What happened to the Japananese in the US during WW2? What happened in the 70's peace protests in the US? What about the prisoners in Guantanamo?. That's ok, but then what happened in Tianamen is not acceptable to you?

Someday fight the Chinese? yeaaahh, I highly doubt it and is nothing more then a daydream.

I guess I'm an evil commie supporter since I'm on the brink of purchasing a Norinco m14 clone.

We are just as barbaric as any other nation and denying it is just like covering your eyes and only see and accept what you think suits you.

 

[Manedwolf]

We are just as barbaric as any other nation and denying it is just like covering your eyes and only see and accept what you think suits you.

That's got to be the most anti-American piece of trash I've yet seen on this board.
Are you sure you didn't mean to post to some other board? Al-Jazeera's forums, maybe?

 

[sicario103]

Posted by Manedwolf

That's got to be the most anti-American piece of trash I've yet seen on this board.
Are you sure you didn't mean to post to some other board? Al-Jazeera's forums, maybe?

Either you didn't read my whole prior post or chosed to ignore the parts you didn't like or couldnt answer to....... and coming back with such a reply is plain childish....

LOL Anti-America? No, sorry to dissapoint you. I'm actually very pro-American, especially when it comes down to wars that the US are involved in.
And trust me when I say this: American involvement worldwide is necessary and needed such as the case in my country (Venezuela).

So again, no I'm not anti-American. I just think I am matured enough to acknowledge that all men are capable of doing "bad things" for whatever reason no matter what color their flag is. So demonizing one and completely ignoring the other because it doesnt work for you is plain wrong.

 

[utahminirevolver]

I'm curious: are you a dual American/Venezuelan citizen, and what kind of 'American involvement' would you like to see in your country, Venezuela?

 

[Banta]

"I was up in Canada last spring for a Boy Scout camporee, and one observation I had, which was confirmed by a Canadian LEO I met there is that anti-gun indoctrination and propaganda is much more prevalent and organized than it is here."


No, I wouldn't say that at all. I live in Western Canada where gun ownership is quite common and you just do not hear any anti-gun statements. The Liberal government came out with their long gun registry 6 years ago and boy did people out here raise a stink about it. In fact the estimates are that approximately 200,000 people refused to register their guns or aquire the required licenses. A few years ago most of the Provinces came out and declared that they refuse to enforce the new gun laws or prosecute anyone who failed to register their firearms.

http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/Article164.htm

The area of the country that seems to generate by far the most anti-gun talk is the Liberal capital of Canada, Toronto. They always scream about the big bad guns coming across the border from the awful Americans. Unfortunately, because people from Toronto think they are the center of the universe every thought and opinion that comes out of that city and area is broadcast around the world as a "Canadian" opinion. Every news statement that is picked up by Americans be it anti American talk etc. without question comes from Toronto and makes the rest of Canada look like a bunch of American hating Liberal loving idiots.

 

[sicario103]

utahminirevolver

Worse still, I'm Canadian/Venezuelan citizen.

The future of my country is bleak under Chavez's reign. Sadly, we missed out our chance for change after the few decent part of our military brought him down and demanded his resignation, which he sighned but now denies. Anyways, we can forget democratic means because he controls every governmental institution and the NGO's have no power whatsoever. We can also forget the military route because again he's in full control of. Anyone that they think is not loyal to the so call "revolution" is targetted and/or weeded out.... so in other words there are no checks and balances. To top it off, the opposition parties are devided.... And now he's arming a civilian military that's completely loyal to him.
An embargo is completly out of the question as this would only punish the people and further strengthen him. The only viable solution would be an American military involvement and the funny thing is that it would probably take 3 hours to take him down because as everyone knows "Chavistas" are a bunch of thievering cowards (Chavez has surrendered twice already, both times at the very first sign of gun powder and on the last time when he was brought down all his loyal followers that swore would shed every drop of their blood in defense of the revolution timely "disappered").
Sadly, it won't happen since the US has bigger fishes to take care of first (Iraq, Iran, North Korea) and the fact that we sell the US about 10%(?) of its oil.

Even without international support, he will eventually fall. But this would take a long long time since all his supporters filling their pockets with the money or some sort of benefit at the cost of the country. Now, the worry is.... will there be anything left?

 

[trainwreck100]

UPS. Surely you jest. That's the American outfit that promises delivery to your door, but dumps it off with some other tranfer company, which charges you for shipping too, and nearest depot is half a tank of gas away.

No, that's FedEx...only they don't leave it at a depot, the pick some random place, and claim they left it at your door.

Greg

 

[TooTaxed]

Nothing has been mentioned about the need for a Canadian government-issued firearm permit card, required to purchase, possess or shoot a firearm or purchase ammunition, or the lengthy (about six month) process, involving a passing an expensive government-supervised safety training course, police investigation (including asking your spouse and neighbors if it is OK with them if you have a firearm...if any say no, the process is over) and central government card issuance one has to go through to get one. And then there's the process one has to go through to get a hunting license...presenting your firearms permit card, purchasing a "Wildlife Support Card", and then purchase of a fairly expensive hunting license, good for one type of game animal, priced accordingly. Want more or different animals? Purchase additional licenses, no discount. And, the very specific laws about keeping your gun and ammunition in separate locked cases, both at home and even while traveling to the hunt... And that's for a hunting rifle or shotgun...to own a pistol the requirements really get stringent!

Upon returning from my stay in Calgary, Alberta I became a Life Member of the NRA...

 

[carnaby]

I lived in Vancouver BC, or thereabouts for over half my life. I'm back in the good ol' USA to stay, that's for sure. Had enough of Canada's gun crap, not to mention all the other bunk they have up there, especially the health care "system."

 

[Autolite]

As already mentioned, one rather interesting aspect about Canada's gun laws is that you must get your spouse's permission in order to obtain your gun license (PAL- "Possession/Acquisition License). I am single so I will not say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. However, they also have a special toll free national phone number (1-800-Come-Take-His-Guns) that anyone can call to have you relieved of your firearms! Once the call is made, the RCMP show up at your door and confiscate you rifles and THEN do an investigation to see if you should get them back. This is happened to a few people I know and it certainly does add an extra amount of discord to an already fragile marriage ...

 

[crunker]

Isn't it that before I believe 1998, a Canadian could readily own a full-auto AK?

 

[jhco50]

I thought Canadians elected a new government to straighten out the anti-gun laws, what happened? Did they slip over to the dark side?

 

[Banta]

"Nothing has been mentioned about the need for a Canadian government-issued firearm permit card, required to purchase, possess or shoot a firearm or purchase ammunition, or the lengthy (about six month) process, involving a passing an expensive government-supervised safety training course, police investigation (including asking your spouse and neighbors if it is OK with them if you have a firearm...if any say no, the process is over) and central government card issuance one has to go through to get one."


You don't have to take any training courses. You can if you do not know much about firearms than it might be helpful but all you have to do is take the test which is multiple choice. It has questions that are very easy to answer if you have a little firearms experience. Most people get close to 100% when they take it. It took me 15 minutes. It took me one month to receive my license From the time I wrote the test and applied for it. The time involved is just waiting for the police to run their background checks and this does not take a month for them to complete it is about limited resources so your license application waits in line. There is no such thing as a requirement to ask your neighbors. This is where the facts get blown out of proportion due to one persons misinformation. As far as getting a spouses permission if this is the case (I'm single) I would assume their reasoning is that nobody would know the applicant better than thier spouse.

Honestly, I have no issues with the licensing. I know this flys in the face of probably 90% of the people on this board but I think it is a good thing to keep guns out of the hands of just anyone. If you have no criminal background you will be able to get a handgun license. Simple as that. And only the people who put in the effort (as little as it is) will own guns leaving the guy who just wants one to wave around and act tough without one.