New Firearms Sales Regulation Set to Take Effect on Sept. 1

Rifles and shotguns on display in an Ottawa hunting store, in a file photo. Jonathan Hayward/CP Photo

New firearms licensing requirements are set to take effect next month, with the government stating that the measures aim to curb the illegal manufacture of firearms.

Starting Sept. 1, anyone seeking to acquire firearm barrels or handgun slides will need a valid licence, such as a Possession and Acquisition Licence or a confirmed Non-Resident Firearms Declaration form for non-residents, Public Safety Canada said in a press release issued Aug. 29.

Additionally, starting Sept. 1, only those with a valid licence will be allowed to import firearm barrels, handgun slides, cartridge magazines, and ammunition into Canada.

The department said barrels and handgun slides are crucial for firearms and are often used to complete unlawfully manufactured firearms, also known as “ghost guns.” It said that the new measures will make it harder for unlicensed individuals to obtain these components.

“With these new measures, we’re bringing in a balanced approach that directly targets criminals trying to manufacture and sell illegal firearms while allowing law-abiding gun owners access to key firearms parts and components,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in the press release.

Once the new regulations take effect, businesses and individuals must verify the recipient has a valid firearms licence before transferring barrels or handgun slides. This includes selling, bartering, or giving away these parts. The RCMP also warned that, by Sept. 1, transferring these components to an unlicenced person will be a criminal offence.

“It is the business or individual’s responsibility to determine the most effective way to validate that the individual holds a valid firearms licence,” the force said in a press release issued on Aug. 29.

However, businesses are not required to keep records of firearm barrel and handgun slide transfers or to report these transactions to the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program, which is responsible for overseeing firearm registration, licensing, and compliance, according to the press release.

These regulations are in addition to the existing valid licence requirement to acquire cartridge magazines and ammunition, which came into force when Bill C-21 received royal assent on Dec. 15, 2023. The bill aimed at creating an evergreen definition for “prohibited firearms” based on their design and functionality. Specifically, it targets firearms that discharge centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner and are designed to hold a magazine capable of containing six or more cartridges.

Since May 2020, Canada has banned over 1,500 models of “assault-style firearms,” along with various firearm parts, accessories, cartridge magazines, and types of ammunition. This prohibition was implemented shortly after the April 2020 mass shooting in Portapique, Nova Scotia, which claimed 22 lives. The shooter did not have a firearms licence and the firearms used in the tragedy had been obtained illegally, including three smuggled from the United States.

Last October, a Federal Court dismissed multiple challenges to the Liberal government’s May 2020 ban. A gun-rights advocacy group, along with several firearms dealers, has since filed an appeal.

Matthew Horwood and Noé Chartier contributed to this report.