The RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program

A Valuable Tool for Police and Canadians

Real-time support for police – 24-7

All current holders of firearms licences, POL and PAL, and registration certificates for their firearms are recorded in the Canadian Firearms Information System (CFIS). The Canadian Firearms Registry On-line (CFRO) is a subset of CFIS and allows accredited law enforcement agencies to query firearms licence and registration information on-line and in real-time when responding to calls and conducting investigations.  CFRO information is refreshed daily, and can be searched by using; individual name, address, phone number, firearms licence number, registration certificate number, serial number, and more.  

Registration is easy and efficient

Firearms owners can get non-restricted firearms verified over the telephone, fill out paperless registration applications on-line, and submit them directly to the Canadian Firearms Program.  In most cases, a registration application can be done in minutes with the applicant receiving confirmation that the application has been entered correctly and received.

Registration ensures police are safer on the job

The registration of all firearms (restricted and non-restricted) is very important to law enforcement officials when they evaluate a potential threat to safety and the possible removal of firearms from an individual.  Police officers can access CFRO from their vehicle, giving them more information when conducting a preliminary situational risk-assessment.  Without a firearms registry, when police are called to a residence or stop a vehicle, they would have to take the word of the occupant whether firearms are present or have been surrendered.

Increasing owner accountability

The Firearms Act prohibits individuals from selling firearms to those who are not eligible.  Under the CFP’s management, registration must be transferred to the new owner and during the transfer process a computerized public safety check on the new owner makes sure that there are no reasons why they should not have firearms.  Without this process, people could buy firearms legally, and then sell them on the criminal black market without fear of being held accountable.  

Registration helps police distinguish between legal and illegal firearms.

Universal firearms registration in CFIS allows for the positive identification of legitimate firearms. When checking CFRO during a traffic stop or at a crime scene, the fact that a firearm is not registered will alert the police to the possibility that it may have been stolen, illegally imported, illegally manufactured, or illegally acquired.  Illegal firearms can be identified and linked to other firearms and to crimes and criminals.  Both restricted and non-restricted firearms are used by criminals, so registration of all firearms supports police investigations.

Registration helps police trace firearms and combat the illegal movement of firearms

To break up organized networks involved in the illegal movement of firearms, it is necessary to have a traceable commodity.   Previously, police had to search manually through thousands of retail records to find the source of any non-restricted firearms recovered at crime scenes. The computerized, centralized CFIS makes it much easier for police to trace and locate the last known owner of these firearms.   If firearms are identified as stolen, knowing the source of the firearm will give the police a valuable starting point for their investigation and identify possible patterns of theft from firearm shipments or dealers.

Within the Canadian Firearms Program, NWEST, a unit of highly trained and experienced investigators and analysts work with law enforcement, across the country and internationally, to assist in anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling efforts. The team also helps the police and judicial system in dealing with issues of violence with firearms in Canadian communities.