Gun Owners' Resource

This page lists the most general frequently asked questions about Canada and guns, especially in regard to the labyrinthine system of Canadian gun laws which can seem so befuddling to foreign visitors and native Canucks alike.

Bear in mind that this page is just for quick reference and is NOT intended to act as legal advice.  While we do our best to provide good information, the fluid nature of Canadian gun law (particularly where Orders In Council are concerned) makes this an extremely difficult task.  Whenever possible, double check facts with the Canada Firearms Centre (CFC) or local Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment.  Yes, it's a pain in the butt.  But it's better than losing your guns and going to jail.

INDEX

General

• How can I buy ammo?
• What's a POL?
• What about the long gun registry amnesty?

Restrictions

• How many rounds can a magazine legally hold?
  • That's stupid!  Aren't there exceptions?
  • How many shells can my shotgun hold?
• What guns are banned in Canada?

GENERAL

How to buy ammo

In order to buy any ammunition anywhere in Canada, you must have a valid Canadian PAL (or POL, if you still have one of those).  If you buy any ammo in the province of Ontario, Provincial legislation requires that your PAL number -- and address! -- are recorded and entered into a log book kept at the store where you bought the ammunition, even if it's just gunpowder.

The fact that these books could be a scumbag's Christmas shopping list if they fell into the wrong hands (the thief would know where you live, what kind of guns you have, etc.) seems to have never occurred to the socialist Premier (Bob Rae) whose government passed the legislation in the early 1990s.

What is a POL?

A POL is -- or rather, was -- a "Possession Only License," which would allow Canadians to posses firearms that they already owned but did not allow them to buy any new guns (you could buy ammo with it, though).  

The government no longer issues POLs in Canada, at all, and the last existing ones will be expiring soon.  After that happens, any Canadian who wants to own a firearm of any kind will need to have a PAL -- or risk prosecution.  Just for having a gun, not for doing anything with it.

Do we still have to register our guns?

Yes and no.  The current LGR amnsety has been extended until 16 May 2013, which should (assuming everything goes right) mean that the registry itself is going to expire before the amnesty does.  This amnesty, however, is only for current and former PAL/POL holders who have unregistered non-restricted firearms.  The amnesty DOES NOT APPLY to individuals who have never obtained a firearms licence!

This page has a little more detail.

RESTRICTIONS

How many rounds can a mag hold?

Unlike other countries, Canada has very strict limitations on the number of rounds that a firearm's magazine is allowed to hold at one time.  Some large-capacity mags are prohibited no matter what type of firearm they're attached to (i.e., a 30-rd mag can still be prohibited even it it's attached to a non-restricted firearm).  As a rule of thumb, the magazine capacity limits are:

• Semi-auto centerfire long guns: 5 rds (yes, seriously: five lousy rounds)
• Semi-auto rimfire long guns: no limit
• Any NON-semiautomatic long guns: no limit
• Center- OR rimfire handguns: 10 rds

Bear in mind that a large-capacity magazine is not prohibited if it has been permanently altered (for example, by pinning) so that it cannot hold more than the legal limit. Acceptable ways to alter a magazine are set out in the regulations.

Strangely enough, the wording of the law is such that the limits are on what the mag was designed for, instead of what it is used in at the moment. So... if a long gun (like the Beretta CX Storm) and a handgun use the SAME mag, and you switch them around, the mag that came out of the rifle would still be limited to 5, even if used in a handgun, while the 10 round handgun mag would -- in this case -- be OK in a rifle.

Hey, don't look at us.  We didn't make these cockamaimie rules.. 

Are there any exceptions to the magazine capacity limits?

As a matter of fact, there are.  Some examples are:

• The M1 Garand.  It uses 8-rd clips.
• Any belt/link designed for belt fed machine guns -- designed before 1945 -- is exempted from the 5-round rule. (Before you get too excited: a .223 belt would NOT be exempt; the .223 wasn't designed until the '60s...)

The "Shotgun Myth."

There is a persistent -- and pernicious -- myth in Canada: "Your shotgun is not allowed to hold any more than a total of three rounds in it (1 in the chamber + 2 in the mag/tube)."  This is just plain not true .  Period.  (Where are the Mythbusters when you need them?)  So where did this misconception come from in the first place?

Back when the federal government was scrambling to find people to teach the new CFSC (the Canadian Firearms Safety Course - the final exam for which now must be passed before anyone can get a gun license in Canada) as they were implementing C-68, most of the people they managed to get were hunting safety course instructors.  Sort of makes sense, right?  So here's the deal: while there is NO firearm law limiting the capacity of a non-semiauto shotty's mag, there IS a federal law that says a shotgun's total capacity -- while hunting migratory birds! -- is to be no more than three rounds (including the one in the chamber).

Like most other people, the instructors were scrambling to catch up to the new regs.  Many simply fell back on what they knew, and the myth has been slithering about ever since. 

What guns are banned in Canada?

Canadian politicians (especially the Liberals) love banning things so much, that they've banned a buttload of things (seriously, it's ridonkulous).  It's so out of hand, there's a whole other page dedicated to just that question.  You can view it right here .