Gun Laws in Canada: Licences, Classes, and Storage

Gun laws in Canada are set at the federal level and apply the same way in every province and territory. The Firearms Act and Part III of the Criminal Code decide who can own a firearm, which firearms are legal, and how they must be stored, transported, and transferred. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police runs the Canadian Firearms Program, which handles licensing and registration. If you want to own a firearm here, you need a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL), your firearm has to fit one of three legal classes, and how you store and move it is regulated in detail. Recent changes, including a national freeze on handgun transfers and the prohibition of hundreds of rifle models, have tightened the rules significantly.

The Three Classes of Firearms

Every firearm in Canada falls into one of three categories, and the class controls what licence you need, where you can shoot it, and how you store it.

Non-restricted firearms are most ordinary rifles and shotguns used for hunting and sport. A firearm sits in this class if it is not specifically designated as restricted or prohibited.¹

Restricted firearms include handguns (with some exceptions) and semi-automatic centre-fire rifles or shotguns with a barrel shorter than 470 millimetres. They can only be used at approved shooting ranges, and each one must be individually registered to the owner.²

Prohibited firearms are the most tightly controlled. The class covers fully automatic weapons, converted automatics, handguns with barrels of 105 millimetres or shorter, and handguns chambered in .25 or .32 calibre.¹ Federal orders in council have also pushed hundreds of formerly legal semi-automatic rifles into this class. In general, only people who were already licensed for a given prohibited firearm before its reclassification can keep owning one, through grandfathering.

Magazine Capacity Limits

Canada limits how many rounds a magazine can hold based on the type of firearm the magazine was designed for, not the firearm you actually put it in.³ Semi-automatic centre-fire rifles are capped at 5 cartridges. Handguns are capped at 10.

A magazine designed to fit both a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun is treated under the handgun limit of 10. A magazine designed for both semi-automatic and non-semi-automatic rifles is capped at 5.³ Rimfire and manually operated firearms generally have no capacity restriction.

Handguns Are Frozen

Since December 15, 2023, when Bill C-21 received royal assent, individuals in Canada can no longer buy, sell to another individual, or import a handgun unless they fit a narrow exemption.⁴ If you already own a registered handgun, you can keep it and use it. You just cannot transfer it to another individual.

The exemptions are limited to people who hold an Authorization to Carry for personal protection or a lawful occupation such as trapping, and to athletes who train, compete, or coach in a handgun discipline on the Olympic or Paralympic programme (with a supporting letter from a provincial or national sport-shooting governing body).⁴ Licensed businesses can still sell handguns to exempted individuals, law enforcement, and other businesses.

If you own a handgun and want to get rid of it, your only lawful options are to sell or give it to an exempted individual or a licensed business, export it lawfully, have it permanently deactivated, or surrender it to a firearms officer for destruction without compensation.

Prohibited Rifles and the 2026 Amnesty

On May 1, 2020, an order in council prohibited nine families of firearms and their variants, including the AR-15, M16, M4, M14, Ruger Mini-14, Vz58, CZ Scorpion EVO 3, Beretta CX4 Storm, SIG Sauer MCX and MPX, and the Swiss Arms Classic Green and Four Seasons series. The order also captured any firearm with a bore diameter of 20 mm or greater, or a muzzle energy above 10,000 joules.⁵ Additional models were prohibited in December 2024 and March 2025.

People who lawfully owned these firearms before the ban are protected by a Criminal Code amnesty while they come into compliance. That amnesty is currently set to expire on October 30, 2026.⁶ After that date, keeping a newly prohibited firearm without having disposed of it, deactivated it, or turned it in through a buyback program could expose you to criminal charges for unauthorized possession. If any of the affected models are in your safe, treat that deadline as real.

Getting a Firearms Licence

Everyone who possesses or acquires a firearm in Canada needs a PAL. It’s issued federally and valid nationwide.

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 18 for a standard PAL. A Minor’s Licence is available between the ages of 12 and 17 and allows the holder to borrow non-restricted firearms for hunting or target practice under supervision.⁷ When the holder turns 18, the Minor’s Licence expires and a full PAL application is required.

First-time applicants have to pass the Canadian Firearms Safety Course, which includes written and practical tests, before applying.⁸ Anyone applying for the restricted privilege must also complete the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course and pass its separate tests.⁹

The licensing process now includes a background check covering the applicant’s full life history rather than just the previous five years. That expanded screening came into force on July 7, 2021, under Bill C-71.¹⁰ The Chief Firearms Officer weighs factors like violent convictions, a history of threatening behaviour, mental illness associated with violence, and any restraining or protective orders, and can refuse a licence whenever issuing one would not be in the interest of safety.¹¹

Certain convictions bar you outright. A court must impose a mandatory firearms prohibition order for an indictable offence involving violence carrying a sentence of 10 years or more, any indictable offence involving violence against an intimate partner or family member, weapons trafficking, criminal harassment, or certain drug offences.¹² A first-offence prohibition runs at least 10 years, and you cannot hold a PAL while the order is in effect.

Applying

Applications go to the RCMP on a form that collects identity, residency, and employment details, along with a certified photograph signed by a guarantor.¹³ You provide two references who have known you for at least three years, and you list any current or former spouses or common-law partners from the previous two years, who are notified as a domestic safety measure.¹⁴

You can apply online through the MyCFP portal or by mail. As of March 31, 2026, the fee is $70.38 for a non-restricted PAL and $93.84 for a restricted or prohibited PAL.¹⁵ First-time applicants without a valid existing licence face a minimum 28-day waiting period before a PAL can issue.¹⁶ Processing often takes longer in practice.

Storing Firearms at Home

Storage is one of the areas where otherwise careful owners get into trouble. The Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations set specific standards by class, and breaching them is a criminal offence on its own.

A non-restricted firearm must be stored unloaded and either rendered inoperable with a secure locking device such as a trigger lock, have the bolt or bolt-carrier removed, or be placed inside a securely locked container or room that is difficult to break into. Ammunition cannot be readily accessible to the firearm unless both are stored in the same locked container.¹⁷ A limited exception applies to people in remote wilderness areas or those who need a firearm handy for predator control.

Restricted firearms need double protection. They must be unloaded, fitted with a trigger lock or other secure locking device, and stored in a locked container or room that resists break-in, or in a vault or safe built or modified for firearm storage.¹⁷ The ammunition rule is the same: not readily accessible unless locked up separately or in the same secure vault.

A “secure locking device” under the regulations is one that can only be released by an electronic, magnetic, or mechanical key, or by a combination, and that prevents the firearm from being fired while attached.¹⁷ A padlock through the trigger guard does not qualify if it can be defeated without a key.

Transporting Firearms

Moving firearms is more regulated than many owners realize, especially for restricted and prohibited ones.

Since July 7, 2021, licensed owners of restricted or prohibited firearms have held an automatic Authorization to Transport covering two trips: to an approved shooting range within their province of residence, and to the firearm’s place of storage after purchase.¹⁸ Any other trip, such as to a gunsmith, a gun show, or a range in another province, needs a separate Authorization to Transport issued by the provincial or territorial Chief Firearms Officer.¹⁹

In transit, restricted and prohibited firearms must be unloaded, fitted with a secure locking device, and placed inside a locked container. Non-restricted firearms must also be unloaded and should be in a locked container or fitted with a trigger lock, though the requirements are less stringent.

Ammunition

You do not need a firearms licence to buy ammunition in Canada, but you do need one to own the firearms that use it. Under the Explosives Regulations, there is no minimum age to purchase ammunition for personal use, and no explosives licence is required unless you store more than 225 kilograms of explosive content (not counting casings or packaging).²⁰

At home, ammunition has to be kept away from flammable substances and ignition sources, with access limited to authorized people. Ammunition stored in a separate unit or structure must be locked when unattended, kept clean and dry, and marked with a visible fire-hazard danger sign at least 10 centimetres tall. Propellant powder and percussion caps stored alongside small-arms cartridges must sit on separate shelves or behind a physical barrier.²⁰

Renewal and Lapsed Licences

An adult PAL is valid for up to five years and expires on the earlier of five years after your next birthday following issuance or the date printed on the licence.²¹ You can renew online through the MyCFP portal as long as the licence has not yet expired.²²

If the licence lapses, you cannot renew and have to apply from scratch. More importantly, possessing a firearm without a valid licence is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code, punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment on indictment.²³ Mark the expiry date and start early.

Penalties

The Criminal Code takes firearms offences seriously, and penalties climb with the level of fault.

Unauthorized possession under section 91 (not knowing your licence was invalid): up to five years’ imprisonment on indictment.²³
Knowing unauthorized possession under section 92: up to 10 years’ imprisonment on indictment.²³
Careless storage, handling, or transport under section 86: up to two years for a first offence and five years for a subsequent offence.²⁴

Each of these can also be prosecuted by summary conviction, with lighter penalties but still a criminal record. A conviction will almost certainly bring a mandatory firearms prohibition order and revocation of any existing licence. Even without a criminal charge, the Chief Firearms Officer can revoke a licence any time continued possession is not in the interest of public safety.

Non-Residents

Non-residents aged 18 or older can bring firearms into Canada by completing a Non-Resident Firearms Declaration before arriving at the border. The form is signed in front of a Canada Border Services Agency officer, who confirms it as a temporary licence valid for 60 days. The fee is $25. A non-resident who wants to borrow a non-restricted firearm in Canada instead can apply for a Non-Resident Temporary Borrowing Licence, which costs $30, is valid for 60 days, and requires a Canadian sponsor connected to the planned activity.²⁵ Non-residents who already hold a Canadian PAL do not need the declaration form but still must declare their firearms at the border.

1
Government of Canada. Criminal Code – Section 84
2
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Classes of Firearms in Canada
3
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Maximum Permitted Magazine Capacity
4
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. What You Need to Know: Changes to Handgun Transfers
5
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. What You Need to Know About the Government of Canada’s May 1, 2020 Prohibition on Certain Firearms and Devices
6
Public Safety Canada. Firearms
7
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Minors
8
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Safety Courses
9
Justice Laws Website. Firearms Act – Section 7
10
Public Safety Canada. Status of Implementation of Bill C-71
11
Justice Laws Website. Firearms Act – Full Text
12
Justice Laws Website. Criminal Code – Section 109
13
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Application for a Possession and Acquisition Licence Under the Firearms Act
14
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Apply for a Firearms Licence
15
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Changes to Service Fees
16
Justice Laws Website. Firearms Licences Regulations – Full Text
17
Justice Laws Website. Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations – Full Text
18
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Authorization to Transport
19
Justice Laws Website. Authorizations to Transport Restricted Firearms and Prohibited Firearms Regulations – Full Text
20
Natural Resources Canada. Buying, Selling and Storing Ammunition
21
Justice Laws Website. Firearms Act – Page 5
22
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Licence Renewal for Individuals
23
Justice Laws Website. Criminal Code – Page 15
24
Justice Laws Website. Criminal Code – Section 86
25
Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Non-Residents