Using a Firearm for Wilderness Protection

Fact Sheet

If you wish to use a firearm for protection against animal predators in wilderness areas, here is some information you should know regarding legal requirements under the Firearms Act.

Classes of Firearms

As a general rule, the only firearms allowed for wilderness protection are non-restricted rifles and shotguns.

Only the following individuals are allowed to carry a handgun or restricted long gun for wilderness protection:

• professional, licensed trappers, and
• licensed people who need protection from wild animals while working at their lawful occupation in a remote wilderness area.

Licence and Registration Requirements

All firearm owners and users need a valid firearms licence and all firearms must be registered. When you are in possession of a firearm, you must be able to show your licence and registration certificate to a peace officer, which may include some wildlife conservation officers, on demand. There is an amnesty until May 16, 2010 which may protect Canadian residents from penalties under the Criminal Code for possessing a non-restricted rifle or shotgun without a valid licence or registration certificate in certain circumstances.

Firearms Licences

If you are a Canadian resident aged 18 or older and you do not have a current firearms licence, the only licence available to you is the Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL).

Exception: Until May 16, 2010, if you still possess restricted and/or non-restricted firearms that were registered to you and you have not been prohibited from possession, you may apply for a new POL to replace an expired POL. Please contact the Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) for an application form if you are eligible.

If you are a non-resident aged 18 and older, you may also apply for a PAL. Alternatively, a Non-Resident Firearm Declaration that has been confirmed by a customs officer has the same effect as a temporary licence.

If you are between the ages of 12 and 17, you can apply for a Minor’s Licence, which will allow you to borrow a non-restricted firearm. Call your provincial Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) at 1 800 731-4000 to get an application form.

To be eligible for a PAL or Minor’s Licence, you must meet specific safety-training requirements.

Firearms Registration

You must be at least 18 years old and have a valid licence to be able to register your firearms. You also need to have your firearms verified by an approved verifier before you register them. For help to verify your firearms, call 1 800 731‑4000 (Canada and the U.S.) or 1 506 624-5380 (outside Canada and the U.S.).

To register a firearm, you can apply online or submit a paper application (form CAFC 998).

A Non-Resident Firearms Declaration that has been confirmed by a customs officer has the effect of a temporary registration certificate for firearms brought into Canada.

If you borrow a firearm that is registered to someone else, you must also borrow the registration certificate.

Fees

• The initial fee for a PAL is $60 for non-restricted firearms only, or $80 for any combination of non-restricted, restricted and prohibited firearms
• Minor’s Licence costs $10 for up to one year, $20 for up to two years, or $30 for more than two years.

Exceptions

• If you need to hunt or trap in order to sustain yourself or your family, you may not be required to pay a fee for a licence to possess non-restricted firearms.
• The fee to renew a POL, PAL or Minor’s Licence is waived until May 16, 2010. However, once you turn 18 and apply for your first PAL, you would be required to pay the $60 or $80 fee, depending on licence privileges.
• There are no fees to register or transfer a firearm.

Carrying Handguns

To be authorized to carry a handgun or restricted long gun for a lawful occupational purpose, you must be a Canadian resident and you must obtain an Authorization to Carry from the CFO of the province where you will be using the firearm. To apply, complete form CAFC 680, Application for Authorization to Carry Restricted Firearms and Prohibited Handguns and submit it to the applicable CFO. You may contact any of the CFOs by calling 1 800 731-4000.

Safe Transportation

If you leave a firearm in an unattended vehicle, you must lock it in the trunk or in a similar lockable compartment, or put it out of sight inside the locked vehicle. The firearm must be unloaded.

Exception:

In a remote wilderness area, if your vehicle does not have any place in which to lock the firearm, a firearm may be left unattended if:

• the firearm is non-restricted; and
• it has been made inoperable by means of a secure locking device (unless you need the firearm for predator control); and
• it is put out of sight.

Safe Storage

All firearms must be unloaded for storage.

Ordinarily, non-restricted firearms must either be made inoperable or locked in a sturdy cabinet, container or room that cannot easily be broken into. The ammunition must be kept separate unless it is locked up.

However, in a remote wilderness area, non-restricted firearms do not have to be made inoperable or locked up. They must be unloaded, but the ammunition can be kept handy.

Additional requirements apply to the safe storage and transportation of restricted and prohibited firearms - see our Factsheet.

NOTE: This information applies only to the rules under the Firearms Act. Other laws and regulations may apply. For example:

• National Parks Regulations generally restrict the use of firearms in national parks.
• There may be provincial regulations or municipal bylaws that restrict the use of firearms in a particular area.
• Provinces may have restrictions on firearms usage outside hunting season to prevent poaching.
• Standard provisions in the Aeronautics Act that apply to people who pilot an aircraft in wilderness areas continue to apply.

The Firearms Act does not apply to devices that were designed exclusively to shoot flares and intended to be used exclusively for that purpose by the person in possession of them.

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.

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May 2008