Antique Firearms

Fact Sheet

If you own or wish to acquire an antique firearm, here is some information you should know about how the Firearms Act applies to firearms that meet the definition of an antique, as set out in the Criminal Code and the Criminal Code Regulations.

The Definition of an Antique

The Criminal Code defines antique firearms as:

• firearms manufactured before 1898 that were not designed or re-designed to discharge rim-fire or centre-fire ammunition, or
• firearms prescribed as antique firearms in the Criminal Code regulations. These are:

Black Powder Reproductions:

of flintlock, wheel-lock or matchlock firearms, other than handguns, manufactured after 1897; (All other reproductions must be registered and owners must have a firearm licence to possess them. For example, reproductions of percussion cap muzzle-loading firearms like American Civil War Enfield and Springfield rifles will be considered firearms and not antiques.)

Rifles:

• manufactured before 1898 that can discharge only rim-fire cartridges, other than 22 Calibre Short, 22 Calibre Long or 22 Calibre Long Rifle cartridges;
• manufactured before 1898 that can discharge centre-fire cartridges (whether with a smooth or rifled bore), have a bore diameter of 8.3 mm or greater, measured from land to land in the case of a rifled bore, with the exception of a repeating firearm fed by any type of cartridge magazine

Shotguns:

• manufactured before 1898 that can discharge only rim-fire cartridges, other than 22 Calibre Short, 22 Calibre Long or 22 Calibre Long Rifle cartridges;
• manufactured before 1898 that can discharge centre-fire cartridges, other than 10, 12, 16, 20, 28, or 410 gauge cartridges

Handguns:

• manufactured before 1898 that can discharge only rim-fire cartridges, other than 22 Calibre Short, 22 Calibre Long or 22 Calibre Long Rifle cartridges;
• manufactured before 1898 that can discharge centre-fire cartridges, other than a handgun designed or adapted to discharge 32 Short Colt, 32 Long Colt, 32 Smith and Wesson, 32 Smith and Wesson Long, 32-20 Winchester, 38 Smith and Wesson; 38 Short Colt, 38 Long Colt, 38-40 Winchester, 44-40 Winchester, or 45 Colt cartridges

Licensing and Registration Requirements

If you own only antique firearms you do not need to:

• get a firearms licence; or
• register any of your antique firearms.

Selling Antique Firearms

There are no restrictions on selling, buying, bartering or giving away your antique firearms.

Safety Regulations

Under the Firearms Act, antique firearms must be stored, displayed and transported unloaded.

If you are transporting your antique firearms and need to leave them unattended*, leave them in your vehicle’s locked trunk or similar compartment. If your vehicle does not have a trunk or compartment, lock the vehicle and leave the antique firearms inside and out of sight.

Antique handguns must be locked in a heavy-duty, non-see-through container that cannot be easily broken open during transportation.

* Unattended means a vehicle that is not under the direct and immediate supervision of an adult (18 years of age or older) or a minor (with a minor’s licence).

Replicas of Antique Firearms

Although replica firearms are made to look like the original, they are distinct from reproductions or antiques. Replicas look the same, but are different because they cannot discharge projectiles at all, or can discharge only harmless projectiles. (Devices that discharge projectiles that can cause serious bodily injury are not replicas).

Replicas of antiques are not considered firearms. Under the law they will be treated the same as antiques.

Information

For more information, contact the CFP.

This fact sheet is intended to provide general information only. For legal references, please refer to the Firearms Act and its Regulations. Provincial, territorial and municipal laws, regulations and policies may also apply.

Le présent feuillet d'information est également disponible en français.

Revised April 2005