Features
-
As Handgun Sales Slow to a Crawl, Restricted Rifles Gain Popularity
With the freeze on handgun imports and transfers introduced last year, there has been an uptick in popularity of restricted rifles amongst Canadian restricted-class PAL holders recently, as evidenced by some social media posts and growing offerings from retailers. While most Canadian gun owners think of handguns when they think of the “restricted” class of firearms, there have always been a number of long guns in this category. The Order-in-Council of May 1, 2020 did remove one of the more popular models, the AR-15, used in IPSC 3-gun competitions and widely popular with sport shooters, especially former and current military. However, the legal category for restricted firearms includes any semi-automatic…
-
Getting a US “Carry Permit”
Many Canadians travel to the United States for leisure, to study, and to work. In many cases, those travellers have concerns about their personal safety and are aware that some jurisdictions allow for qualified individuals to carry a firearm for self-protection. The idea is usually foreign to Canadians, because self-protection “carry” is not common here. When Canadian gun owners do carry a firearm for protecting their life, it is almost always in the context of travel or work in remote areas where dangerous wildlife such as bears are a serious concern and animal attacks can be deadly. It is for this reason that many government officials working in remote areas…
-
Gun Owner Letter Writing Campaign Explodes on Social Media
In response to the draconian measures proposed in Bill C-21 which will ban many types of popular and commonly owned sporting and hunting firearms in Canada, many gun owners and advocates have taken to a mass letter writing campaign and posting about their efforts on social media. The Reddit subreddit “r/canadaguns” has received several posts with photos from its contributors in recent days showing the fruits of their letter writing efforts. The campaign appears to have started nearly three weeks ago with an image post by a user named Mr_Winemaker, showing a bundle of white envelopes grasped in his hand captioned “My stack of letters for the Senate and MPs”.…
-
Just Launched: CFSC/CRFSC Courses For Women
Now, women can take a firearms safety course in a comfortable classroom environment with other women at GTAGunSafety.com, as we have today launched a Women-only CFSC/CRFSC course scheduled for later next year. Our first female-only courses will run September 16/17, 2023. Women and girls aged 12-17 can take the 1-day CFSC portion only, or for women aged 18 and over, both the CFSC and restricted CRFSC courses needed to obtain a Canadian firearm licence. In addition, to those who book by March 1, 2023, the promo code GUNSAFEGIRLS will enable registrants to get 20% off the cost of whichever course option they book. Our women’s only course, and the limited…
-
Can Americans Bring Guns to Canada?
Yes, absolutely! That’s the short answer. The longer answer is, it depends on the firearms and the reason they’re coming. Temporarily importing firearms into Canada is routinely done by visitors not only from the US, but from all over the world. The usual reasons are to hunt and participate in sport shooting competitions, and the process is fairly straightfoward. Temporarily importing firearms into Canada is routinely done by visitors not only from the US, but from all over the world. First, visitors should do a little bit of research to determine how their firearms may be classified. For most hunters bringing bolt action, pump action, break action and lever action…
-
Saskatchewan Introduces Provincial Firearms Act
The government of Saskatchewan announced new legislation intended to protect “lawful firearms owners” the province said in an announcement on December 1, 2022. Among the new legislation’s powers are a requirement that businesses or individuals “involved in firearms expropriation” be licenced, and a requirement for ballistic testing of seized firearms. Saskatchewan introduced their own Chief Firearms Officer under the Saskatchewan Firearms Office in 2021, ending their use of the RCMP to fulfil the role. The new legislation and its regulations would be administered by that office. While the legislation, tabled as Bill 117, has not yet become law, the novel power to require a licence to expropriate firearms could frustrate…
-
RCMP Introduce Online PAL Applications
This month, the RCMP made it possible for first-time applicants to apply for their Canadian firearm possession and acquisition licence, or PAL, online. Canada’s national police force, which is responsible for administration of the Canadian Firearms Program, launched the MyCFP portal on their website to allow prospective gun licencees to apply for their licence by completing the application, uploading their photographs, and proof of safety course completion, without the need to download, print and mail any paper application forms. Previously, only existing PAL holders could apply to renew their licences online using a simplified form and photo upload feature. The MyCFP portal uses secure MyKey government sign-in credentials, or a…
-
The Impact of Bill C-71
The Liberal government has proposed legislation that will impact firearms owners in Canada. While the details of the proposed Bill C-71 may yet change, it is important for those currently licenced to own firearms, and those considering obtaining a licence in the near future, to consider the possible changes that may happen should the legislation pass. CZ858 and Swiss Arms Rifles Return to Prohibited Class The popular CZ858 and Swiss Army Classic Green rifles were at first non-restricted rifles in the Canadian market, until an RCMP review re-classified them as prohibited. At that time, many who owned the rifles were concerned that the change would result in a need to…
-
Quebec to Create Provincial Gun Registry
Quebec has tabled legislation today to introduce a Quebec Gun Registry, it has been reported. The federal government had maintained a national firearm registration system for all firearms since the 1990s, but in 2012 the long-gun portion was abolished. However, Quebec fought a lengthy court battle to preserve the long gun registry data as it applied to Quebec residents. The province was ultimately defeated at the Supreme Court of Canada, in a ruling earlier this year. The Quebec government has now introduced Bill 64, the Firearms Registration Act. Under the law, if passed, all non-restricted firearms in Quebec would once again require registration, this time with the provincial public security…
-
Featured Training Gun: Ruger New Model Blackhawk
We pride ourselves on offering a selection of modern training aids representative of firearms you can actually find available on the sport shooting market in Canada. And when it comes to single action revolvers, one of the most iconic and reliable is the Ruger New Model Blackhawk.
