What gun can you own in canada

How this prohibition affects owners of these firearms. Details on the announcement are available on the Public Safety Canada website. An Amnesty Order is in effect until April 30, to protect individuals who were in legal possession of one or more of these newly prohibited firearms or devices on the day the amendments to the Classification Regulations came into force May 1, , from criminal liability for unlawful possession. It also provides owners with the time to come into compliance with the law.

The Government intends to implement a buy-back program and is looking at a range of options. More information on the buy-back program will be available at a later date. The course is fun and easy , and is designed to be sufficient safety instruction for people who have no prior experience with firearms. Most people simply take a one day class usually a Saturday , that includes watching a video, listening to an instructor, and going over a book.

You know, typical classroom sort of stuff. It's pretty low key, and most people have a lot of fun. The course comes with a great book. It's an easy read, with lots of pictures and diagrams to help you learn the details. No, it's not. At the end of the course there is a test based only on what is covered in the course.

Don't worry, it's pretty easy. A Possession and Acquisition Licence PAL allows you to acquire prohibited firearms only in the same categories as the ones currently registered to you, and only if the firearms you wish to acquire were registered in Canada prior to the specific dates set out in the Firearms Act.

As a general rule, a PAL will indicate what categories of prohibited firearms the licence holder is licensed to acquire by showing the section of the Firearms Act that grandfathers them, as follows:. Eligibility to acquire a particular prohibited firearm will be confirmed during the transfer process. Grandfathered status allows the possession and acquisition of prohibited firearms that are already registered in Canada, but not the new importation of prohibited firearms into Canada.

Generally, you may have prohibited firearms only if you have been "grandfathered" under section 12 of the Firearms Act. Being grandfathered means that you can keep certain prohibited firearms that were registered to you on specific dates set out in the Act. You can possess certain prohibited firearms if you had one registered in your name when it became prohibited, and you have continuously held a valid registration certificate for that type of prohibited firearm from December 1, , onward.

It is important to note that both the owner and the firearm must be grandfathered for the same category. To be able to hold a registration certificate for a firearm, you need a licence allowing you to possess that class of firearm.

It is essential that firearms licences are renewed before they expire. The law, with minor exceptions, restricts the magazine capacity of hunting rifles and shotguns to five rounds. The law requires the court, in most cases, to prohibit people who are convicted of serious crimes from possessing firearms for 10 years to life, depending on the crime and whether it is a first offense. And the court may, for safety reasons, prohibit people who have not committed any crimes from possessing firearms.

The law grants police officers considerable powers of search and seizure where prohibited and restricted firearms are concerned. Among other things, they may make warrantless searches of any premises other than a dwelling and vehicles and seize undocumented weapons if they have reasonable grounds to believe a crime involving such weapons is taking or has taken place. The law also allows firearm officers to enter gun owners homes to inspect collections for secure storage.

Illegal possession or transfer of a prohibited weapon carries a prison term of up to 10 years. Illegal possession or transfer of a restricted firearm carries a prison term of up to five years. Possessing a firearm in violation of a court order carries a term of up to 10 years. The minimum age at which someone can have any firearm transferred to him is Violation carries a prison term of up to two years. Unlike the U. Constitution, the Canadian Constitution does not contain any protection for gun owners.

Unlike the United States, where firearms are primarily regulated by the state, in Canada firearms are federally regulated. It is illegal, with few exceptions, to possess or transfer prohibited weapons. The military and police, customs and immigration officers, and public service employees may possess prohibited weapons for employment purposes. Authorized persons may posses and import and export certain prohibited weapons, including automatic firearms, for industrial purposes e.

Authorized persons may import and sell prohibited weapons to approved museums, which may exhibit them. Authorized persons may possess large capacity magazines for use in shooting competitions and authorized persons may 1 make or procure such magazines for such competitors and 2 make them for export Criminal Code R.

Certain firearms, such as hunting rifles and shotguns, are not prohibited nor restricted. But one must obtain a firearms acquisition certificate to possess them. The law, with minor exceptions, limits the magazine capacity of firearms to five rounds for hunting rifles and shotguns and 10 rounds for handguns.

Anyone who wishes to acquire any firearm must obtain a firearms acquisition certificate from a provincial firearms officer and produce it at the time of a firearm transaction. Both the transferor and transferee are subject to a prison term of up to two years for any transfer without a certificate Criminal Code R. An applicant for a certificate must be at least age