Facts and Figures (January-March 2009)

Canadian Firearms Program

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• Firearms licensing
• Firearms registration
• Other CFP Performance Information

Firearms Licensing

Firearms Licences
There are currently three types of firearms licences for individuals in Canada: the Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL), the Possession Only Licence (POL) and the Minor’s Licence. Only the PAL and Minor’s Licence are available for new applicants.

• Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL): allows the licence holder to possess and acquire firearms and ammunition.
• Possession Only Licence (POL):  allows the licence holder to possess, but not acquire, firearms, and to both possess and acquire ammunition.
• Minor’s Licence: the only licence available to individuals under 18 years of age. It allows the licence holder to use non-restricted firearms for specific activities such as hunting or target practice.

All businesses and organizations that produce, sell, possess, handle, display or store firearms or ammunition are required to have a valid firearms business licence.

Valid Licences as of March 2009

Province/Territory	Possession Licence	Possession and Acquisition Licence	Minor's Licence	Total
Newfoundland and Labrador	32,748	38,200	143	71,091
Prince Edward Island	4,362	2,537	7	6,906
Nova Scotia	50,877	26,418	1,164	78,459
New Brunswick	51,767	25,218	111	77,096
Quebec	213,954	277,280	34	491,268
Ontario	238,513	272,877	4,002	515,392
Manitoba	37,431	43,488	232	81,151
Saskatchewan	43,225	48,658	70	91,953
Alberta	86,553	125,342	936	212,831
British Columbia	98,728	113,424	240	212,392
Yukon	1,631	4,164	54	5,849
Northwest Territories	1,071	4,043	35	5,149
Nunavut	120	2,675	1	2,796
Total	860,980	984,324	7,029	1,852,333

Number of Licences Issued (including renewals) in the January-March 2009 Period

Type of Licences Issued	Number
Possession and Acquisition Licence	53,520
Minor's Licence	699
Possession Licence	42,796
Total Issued to Individuals	97,015
Total issued to Businesses	429
Total	97,444

Licence Renewal

A firearms licence for an individual is valid for five years, at which point the individual must renew the licence.

Renewal Statistics for Licence Holders who have Registered Firearms

Quarter	Total Number of Licences Set to Expire During the Period	Renewed	Did not Renew
2005 Q 1	18,644	15,501	3,143
2005 Q 2	29,239	24,398	4,841
2005 Q 3	45,396	40,177	5,219
2005 Q 4	77,854	66,823	11,031
2006 Q 1	82,349	67,514	14,835
2006 Q 2	84,623	67,855	16,768
2006 Q 3	82,752	67,596	15,156
2006 Q 4	77,551	65,847	11,704
2007 Q 1	77,559	65,800	11,759
2007 Q 2	82,041	68,911	13,130
2007 Q 3	81,370	66,730	14,640
2007 Q 4	75,157	58,857	16,300
2008 Q 1	77,102	60,711	16,391
2008 Q 2	81,816	66,534	15,282
2008 Q 3	78,832	61,878	16,954
2008 Q 4	71,411	54,032	17,379
2009 Q 1	73,261	54,713	18,548

Safety Training

Firearms safety training is a fundamental element of the Canadian Firearms Program. To obtain a PAL or a Minor’s Licence an applicant must have satisfied the requirements of the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC). It is also possible in some cases for a PAL applicant to receive alternative certification. To own or acquire restricted firearms, an individual must satisfy the requirements of the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC) or have been alternatively certified, in addition to having satisfied the requirements of the CFSC. These courses help ensure that those who possess and use firearms are fully aware of their responsibility for the safe handling, transport and storage of firearms.

Year	No. of Alternative Certifications	No. of CFSCs	No. of CFSC Students	No. of CRFSC	No. of CRFSC Students
before 1999	23,017	182	1,744	20	119
1999	202	4,590	43,911	1,120	6,501
2000	5,215	9,633	81,290	2,312	12,091
2001	1,408	6,211	57,064	1,686	9,074
2002	3,044	5,236	49,720	1,743	10,060
2003	708	4,174	37,633	1,345	7,834
2004	460	3,892	36,156	1,250	8,199
2005	751	4,257	40,455	1,446	9,028
2006	1,543	4,906	46,935	1,722	10,329
2007	910	5,431	54,842	2,037	13,029
2008	445	5,653	55,214	2,196	14,631
2009	53	506	4,476	254	1,687
Total	37,756	54,671	509,440	17,131	102,582

NOTE: The 2008 numbers have increased between the present and last reports due to additional safety training information being entered into CFIS.

Licence Refusals and Revocations

Licensing of an individual to possess firearms requires a variety of background checks. Applicants are screened to detect potential public safety risks based on information provided with a firearms licence application. Continuous eligibility screening is conducted over the term of the licence to identify any public safety risks that may arise over time. A licence may also be revoked following a court order or a Chief Firearm Officer’s investigation resulting from a call to the CFP’s public safety line (1-800-731-4000).

The Registrar of Firearms is notified of all licence revocations, is responsible for revoking all associated registration certificates, and works to ensure proper disposal of the firearms. For more information on refusals and revocations, please consult the
Firearms Act.

NOTE: Reasons for licence refusals or revocations include: a history of violence, mental illness, potential risk to oneself or others, unsafe firearm use and storage, drug offences, and providing false information.

Licence Refusals by Year

Year	Refused Applications
2004	341
2005	364
2006	424
2007	466
2008	478
2009	148

Licence Revocations by Year

Year	Licences Revoked
2005	2 233
2006	2 093
2007	1 701
2008	1 800
2009	499

NOTE:  The 2008 numbers have increased between the present and last reports due to new data becoming available.

Firearms Registration

The registration of firearms links firearms and their licensed owners, thereby enhancing owners’ accountability for safe storage and use of firearms. A centralized, on-line, secure database of firearms information helps police and other public safety officials carry out investigations efficiently and effectively enabling them to quickly trace a firearm to its last lawful owner.

Registered Firearms

Firearms Registered as of March 2009

Province/Territory	Non-restricted firearms	Restricted firearms	Prohibited firearms	Total
Alberta	821,205	76,310	24,394	921,909
British Columbia	772,094	84,561	28,868	885,523
Manitoba	326,885	15,949	6,478	349,312
New Brunswick	264,635	10,946	5,519	281,100
Newfoundland and Labrador	187,362	3,512	1,615	192,489
Nova Scotia	285,216	15,050	7,599	307,865
Northwest Territories	17,982	1,022	323	19,327
Nunavut	10,232	142	38	10,412
Ontario	2,009,989	172,223	90,197	2,272,409
Prince Edward Island	21,568	1,483	801	23,852
Quebec	1,550,758	53,801	35,233	1,639,792
Saskatchewan	378,206	23,104	8,510	409,820
Yukon	21,264	1,534	410	23,208
Other	23,396	452	115	23,963
Grand Total	6,690,792	460,089	210,100	7,360,981

Firearms Registered as of Indicated Period

Period	Non-restricted firearms	Restricted firearms	Prohibited firearms	Total
2004/Mar	6,255,782	358,763	197,996	6,812,541
2004/Dec	6,379,689	373,665	202,208	6,955,562
2005/Mar	6,410,740	372,782	200,937	6,984,459
2005/Dec	6,513,246	384,582	205,911	7,103,739
2006/Mar	6,450,858	388,378	208,057	7,047,293
2006/Dec	6,460,236	406,559	209,677	7,076,472
2007/Mar	6,496,609	411,172	209,419	7,117,200
2007/Jun	6,507,013	417,877	209,427	7,134,317
2007/Sep	6,513,952	420,385	208,474	7,142,811
2007/Dec	6,527,482	427,247	208,892	7,163,621
2008/Mar	6,545,001	433,226	209,912	7,188,139
2008/Jun	6,600,666	439,969	210,318	7,250,953
2008/Sep	6,627,307	440,430	207,931	7,275,668
2008/Dec	6,652,205	450,635	210,407	7,313,247
2009/Mar	6,690,792	460,089	210,100	7,360,981

Firearm Transfers

A firearm must be legally transferred whenever it is sold, traded or given to someone else. The registration information must be updated to indicate the new owner, if he or she lives in Canada. This process is referred to as a “transfer” under the Firearms Act.

Firearm Transfers by Transfer Method

NOTE: EFAST is a legacy system that is being phased out

Quarter	Telephone	Internet	Paper	EFAST	Total
2006 Q 1	68,897	26,244	5	291	95,437
2006 Q 2	76,740	39,314	0	4	116,058
2006 Q 3	85,979	41,917	2	0	127,898
2006 Q 4	82,092	34,586	1	0	116,679
2007 Q 1	64,800	32,944	0	0	97,744
2007 Q 2	76,454	53,215	4	0	129,673
2007 Q 3	73,318	61,956	0	7	135,281
2007 Q 4	75,156	61,683	0	0	136,839
2008 Q 1	62,086	51,358	1	0	113,445
2008 Q 2	72,632	84,757	0	81	157,470
2008 Q 3	73,853	102,321	0	0	176,174
2008 Q 4	89,997	82,739	0	0	172,736
2009 Q 1	77,943	67,041	0	0	144,984

Firearm Transfers Processed within Service Standard (30 days)

Quarter	Percentage within Standard
2006 Q 1	94%
2006 Q 2	89%
2006 Q 3	94%
2006 Q 4	96%
2007 Q 1	97%
2007 Q 2	97%
2007 Q 3	97%
2007 Q 4	97%
2008 Q 1	95%
2008 Q 2	95%
2008 Q 3	98%
2008 Q 4	97%
2009 Q 1	96%

Other CFP Performance Information

CFRO Queries

The Canadian Firearms Registry On-line (CFRO) is a subset of the Canadian Firearms Information System (CFIS). The system is available to Canadian police agencies via the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system to assist them when responding to calls and conducting investigations. As a searchable application, police officers may query the name, address and firearms licence number of an individual, or firearm-related information such as the serial number or registration certificate number of a firearm. CFRO provides police with real-time access to the information they require in their investigative and operational activities.

Average Daily Queries to the CFRO

Type	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Individual Name	1,561	1,820	2,397	4,001	4,262	6440	6,722
Address	27	42	1,434	2,268	2,364	2574	2,606
Serial#	128	130	143	187	176	202	271
Licence#	47	57	74	89	121	141	169
Certificate#	20	13	14	15	16	19	21
Telephone#	7	9	12	11	14	15	17
Other	21	16	17	21	21	22	0
Total	1,811	2,087	4,090	6,591	6,973	9,413	9,807

The total may not match the sum of the components due to rounding

Total CFRO Queries by Quarter

Quarter	All Queries Types
2003 Q 2	95,303
2003 Q 3	172,717
2003 Q 4	156,797
2004 Q 1	170,620
2004 Q 2	192,210
2004 Q 3	196,413
2004 Q 4	203,286
2005 Q 1	213,010
2005 Q 2	342,721
2005 Q 3	454,394
2005 Q 4	481,618
2006 Q 1	585,410
2006 Q 2	648,524
2006 Q 3	650,361
2006 Q 4	513,277
2007 Q 1	504,430
2007 Q 2	573,137
2007 Q 3	703,516
2007 Q 4	760,097
2008 Q 1	785,949
2008 Q 2	890,604
2008 Q 3	904,427
2008 Q 4	822,469
2009 Q 1	854,703

NOTE:  The numbers from previous quarters have increased between this report and last, due to new data becoming available.

Telephone Enquiries

The Canadian Firearms Program operates a call centre located within its central processing site. This centre answers calls from the general public and licence holders relating to firearms licensing and registration.

Telephone Calls Received at the CFP's Call Centre.

Year	Average Wait Time (seconds)	Total Number of Calls Received	Number of Calls Answered within 3 Minutes
2004	116	501,582	379,321
2005	113	839,658	629,737
2006	159	1,146,880	749,612
2007	324	1,034,298	352,320
2008	124	964,492	684,291
2009	105	237,878	180,601