Yes, you can still buy guns in Canada, but the range of what’s available to an ordinary buyer has shrunk sharply since 2020. Handgun sales between individuals are frozen, more than 1,500 assault-style models have been prohibited outright, and every buyer needs a federal Possession and Acquisition Licence before any transfer can happen. What most Canadians can realistically purchase today is non-restricted rifles and shotguns for hunting and sport, bought through a regulated process after safety training and a background check.
What You Can No Longer Buy
Two federal actions define the current market. The first is the national handgun freeze, which took effect on October 21, 2022 and was written into permanent law when Bill C-21 received Royal Assent on December 15, 2023.1Prime Minister of Canada. Freezing the Market on Handguns2Government of Canada. Order Fixing April 4, 2025 as the Day on Which Sections 16 and 36 Come Into Force Since the freeze date, individuals cannot buy, sell, or transfer handguns within Canada, and newly acquired handguns cannot be imported. People who already own a registered handgun can keep it and use it at approved ranges; they just cannot sell it to another individual or replace it.
A few narrow exemptions remain. Elite sport shooters training or competing in handgun disciplines recognized by the International Olympic or Paralympic Committees can still acquire handguns with a letter from a provincial or national sport shooting governing body. Individuals who hold an Authorization to Carry for their work, such as armoured car guards, remain eligible. Licensed dealers, gunsmiths, film industry suppliers, and museums can still transfer handguns within their licence conditions. Together those carve-outs cover roughly 6,000 people tied to professional requirements and about 8,000 competitive athletes.3Government of Canada. Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Firearms Act For everyone else, the handgun market is closed.
The second closure is the assault-style firearms ban. On May 1, 2020, the federal government prohibited over 1,500 models and variants by Order in Council.4Prime Minister of Canada. Prime Minister Announces Ban on Assault-Style Firearms The list has grown since, with 324 more models prohibited on December 5, 2024 and another 179 on March 7, 2025. Current owners of these newly prohibited firearms are covered by a time-limited amnesty that expires on October 30, 2026. Before that date they must safely dispose of the firearm, have it permanently deactivated, or use the federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program, which is open to individual owners now and reopens to eligible businesses in 2026.5Government of Canada. Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program
What You Can Still Buy
Canadian law sorts firearms into three classes, and the class decides how hard it is to acquire and what you can do with it.
Non-restricted firearms are most common rifles and shotguns used for hunting and sport. They have the fewest rules around use, storage, and transport, and they are what a standard PAL holder can readily purchase.
Restricted firearms include all handguns that are not prohibited, semi-automatic centerfire rifles with barrels shorter than 470 mm, and firearms that can be reduced to an overall length under 660 mm.6Justice Laws Website. Criminal Code RSC 1985, c. C-46 – Section 84 They can only be used at approved shooting ranges for target practice or as part of a collection. Because of the handgun freeze, the only restricted firearms most people can still buy are qualifying rifles, not handguns.
Prohibited firearms are off-limits to new civilian ownership. This class covers fully automatic weapons, handguns with barrels of 105 mm or less, handguns designed to fire .25 or .32 calibre cartridges, and firearms adapted from rifles or shotguns to be shorter than 660 mm overall.7Justice Laws Website. Criminal Code RSC 1985, c. C-46 – Section 84
The Licence You Need First
Before you can buy any firearm, you need a Possession and Acquisition Licence issued through the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program. Adults must be at least 18 to apply. Minors between 12 and 17 can apply for a minor’s licence with parental consent under different requirements.8Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Apply for a Firearms Licence
Every applicant completes mandatory safety training. The Canadian Firearms Safety Course covers non-restricted firearms; if you want restricted firearms, you also need the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course. Both include written and practical exams on safe handling, storage, transportation, and legal obligations.
The application itself asks for two pieces of government-issued ID, a photo, a guarantor, and contact information for two personal references and any current or former conjugal partners. The conjugal partner requirement trips applicants up. The chief firearms officer must notify every spouse or partner you have been in a relationship with during the two years before the application, giving them at least 15 days’ notice before a licence can issue.9Justice Laws Website. Firearms Licences Regulations
A background check follows. It weighs whether you pose a safety risk, looking at convictions for violent offences, firearms offences, criminal harassment, and drug offences, along with any history of behaviour involving violence or threats. A history of mental illness associated with violence is also considered.10Justice Laws Website. Firearms Act SC 1995, c. 39 – Section 5
Expect a wait. There is a minimum 28-day waiting period for anyone who does not already hold a valid firearms licence, and the RCMP estimates total processing at roughly 45 days.11Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Application for a Possession and Acquisition Licence – Information Sheet As of March 31, 2026, the licence fee is $70.38 for a non-restricted PAL and $93.84 for a restricted or prohibited PAL. Renewals use the same rates.12Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Changes to Service Fees
How the Purchase Works
Holding a PAL does not let you walk out of a store with a firearm the same day. Every transfer runs through the Canadian Firearms Program.
For a non-restricted firearm, the seller contacts the CFP to verify your PAL and obtain a reference number confirming you are eligible. The reference number is valid for 90 days, and once it is issued the physical transfer can go through.13Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Buying and Selling (Transferring) Firearms
For a restricted firearm, the process is longer. Both buyer and seller must contact the CFP, which speaks with each party and verifies both licences. The Chief Firearms Officer for the buyer’s province then confirms the firearm is being acquired for a permitted purpose. The firearm stays with the seller until the CFP approves the transfer and issues a new registration certificate to the buyer. All restricted and prohibited firearms must be individually registered.
Storing and Transporting What You Own
Storage rules are enforced. Every firearm must be stored unloaded, with ammunition kept separately or locked up. Non-restricted firearms must either have a secure locking device attached, such as a trigger lock or cable lock, or be locked in a cabinet, container, or room that is difficult to break into. Removing the bolt counts as an alternative to a locking device.14Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Storing, Transporting and Displaying Firearms
Restricted and prohibited firearms face both requirements at once: a secure locking device attached and storage in a locked container, cabinet, or room that is difficult to break into. A vault, safe, or room built or modified for firearm storage also satisfies the rule.
Transport rules differ by class too. Non-restricted firearms can be transported without special authorization as long as they are unloaded and handled safely. For restricted and prohibited firearms, you need an Authorization to Transport from your provincial or territorial Chief Firearms Officer to move the firearm anywhere other than an approved shooting range in your province of residence or to storage after purchase.15Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Authorization to Transport Moving to a new address, visiting a gunsmith in another city, or crossing provincial lines each requires a separate ATT.
Visitors Bringing Firearms Into Canada
If you are visiting from another country, you can bring firearms in under specific conditions, but not prohibited ones. Non-residents without a Canadian firearms licence complete a Non-Resident Firearm Declaration and pay a CAN$25 fee at the border. Once a border services officer confirms it, the declaration acts as a temporary licence for up to 60 days. For restricted firearms it also serves as a temporary registration certificate, and the visitor must additionally obtain an Authorization to Transport from the Chief Firearms Officer of the province they are visiting.16Canada Border Services Agency. Firearms and Weapons: Canadian Border Requirements
You must be at least 18 to import a firearm and have a valid purpose: hunting, a recognized shooting competition, repair, or protection against wildlife in a remote area. Hunting and wildlife protection are only valid purposes for non-restricted firearms. Visitors with a confirmed declaration can bring in up to 200 rounds of ammunition duty-free for hunting or up to 1,500 rounds for a recognized competition. Prohibited firearms, prohibited devices, and prohibited weapons cannot be brought in by visitors under any circumstances, and anything falling under the handgun freeze or the assault-style ban will be seized at the border.