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Commissioner of Firearms - 2008 Report
THE CFP AT WORK
During what was anticipated to be a routine and quick review of a small northern community firearms business, CFP firearms officers discovered that this business had not been completing firearms transfers correctly. As a result, more than 60 firearms were in the hands of people with no safety training and either no licence or an expired licence.
It was decided the best way to address this public safety issue was to visit the community, equipped with all the necessary applications, materials and information, and hand out free trigger locks to encourage people to fill out the forms.
The community warmly welcomed the CFP representatives, and the residents expressed gratitude for the guidance and assistance they were given. In all, the CFP helped more than 50 individuals with new firearms-licence applications or renewals. They also inspected the business and educated its employees. In four days, they managed to account for all the missing firearms and hand out numerous trigger locks to a group of very appreciative firearm owners.
Licensing
There are 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.
- A PAL allows the licence holder to possess and acquire firearms and ammunition.
- A POL allows the licence holder to possess, but not acquire, firearms and to both possess and acquire ammunition.
- A Minor’s Licence is available to persons under 18 years of age who wish to borrow non-restricted firearms for specific activities such as target practice or hunting. Licensed minors cannot acquire firearms.
As indicated, a 2008 initiative intended to encourage firearms licensing compliance permitted those with expired POLs the opportunity to apply for a new POL, provided they met specifically outlined requirements.
The CFP also offers clients the convenience of web-based services. Individuals can check the status of their application, change their address or register their firearms through the CFP website.
| Province/Territory | Possession & Acquisition Licence | Possession Only Licence | Minor's Licence | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 37,377 | 33,740 | 145 | 71,262 |
| Prince Edward Island | 2,489 | 4,519 | 7 | 7,015 |
| Nova Scotia | 25,749 | 52,395 | 1,161 | 79,305 |
| New Brunswick | 24,563 | 53,443 | 117 | 78,123 |
| Quebec | 271,963 | 220,684 | 32 | 492,679 |
| Ontario | 267,815 | 245,920 | 4,118 | 517,853 |
| Manitoba | 42,477 | 39,108 | 241 | 81,826 |
| Saskatchewan | 47,883 | 44,658 | 67 | 92,608 |
| Alberta | 121,984 | 89,888 | 880 | 212,752 |
| British Columbia | 109,813 | 102,222 | 231 | 212,266 |
| Yukon | 4,096 | 1,683 | 56 | 5,835 |
| Northwest Territories | 4,037 | 1,143 | 32 | 5,212 |
| Nunavut | 2,641 | 123 | 1 | 2,765 |
| Total | 962,887 | 889,526 | 7,088 | 1,859,501 |
| Licence Type | Total Issued in 2008 |
|---|---|
| Possession and Acquisition Licence | 217,350 |
| Possession Only Licence | 167,031 |
| Minor's Licence | 3,381 |
| Total Issued to Individuals | 387,762 |
| Total issued to Businesses | 1,459 |
| Total | 389,221 |
Firearms Business Support
THE CFP AT WORK
Both business and individual clients are often surprised at how quick and straightforward it is to register or transfer a non-restricted firearm.
Provided the client is licensed and the firearm has been verified to determine its classification, the registration or transfer process can be completed over the telephone or via the Internet in a matter of minutes.
Under the Firearms Act, all businesses and organizations that produce, sell, possess, handle, display or store firearms or ammunition are required to have a valid firearms-business licence. As well, all employees of these businesses who handle firearms on the job must have a valid firearms licence. And all firearms in a business inventory must be authenticated by an approved verifier and registered.
Businesses must submit to periodic inspections by a firearms officer to confirm that they are storing firearms and conducting business in a safe and lawful manner. As of December 31, 2008, there were 4,998 licensed businesses under the Firearms Act, of which 2,705 were licensed to sell ammunition only. This number includes licensed carriers and museums.
The CFP offers businesses the convenience of performing firearms transfers through the program’s web-based services. It takes just a few minutes to process an Internet transfer of a firearm from a business to an individual and approximately four days to mail out the related paper registration certificate.
The Firearms Act and regulations set out the safety standards for shooting clubs and ranges, ensuring the safety of patrons and the general public. These clubs and ranges are subject to inspections by firearms officers.
THE CFP AT WORK
After having many pieces of correspondence regarding firearms licences and registration certificates returned to the CFP as undeliverable, it was discovered that a number of these former licence holders and registered firearms owners were now deceased.
In response to this, as well as a significant number of direct requests for information from executors of estates, the CFP prepared an information brochure which guides readers through all aspects of dealing with firearms that have been left in an estate.
Transforming an operational challenge into an outreach opportunity, the CFP distributed its “Firearms Left in an Estate” brochure to funeral directors, legal societies, public legal education groups and the general public across Canada.
Licence Renewals
A firearms licence for an individual is valid for five years, at which point the individual must apply to renew.
The CFP has taken steps to streamline the renewal process. The average processing time in 2008 for a standard licence application in which all the requested information was provided was 28 days.
Because of the need for reference checks and deeper scrutiny of applicants’ backgrounds, the average processing time for new Possession and Acquisition Licences (PALs) was 45 days. This includes a mandatory 28-day waiting period for new PALs.
To encourage compliance, a partially filled renewal application is mailed to the client for completion 90 days prior to expiry. In 2008, a total of 309,161 licences of individuals in possession of firearms (Possession Only Licences and Possession and Acquisition Licences) required renewal. Of these, 66,006 were not renewed.
Many of the non-renewals occurred because the licence holders did not advise the CFP of their address changes. Overall, 27,859 renewal notices were returned as undeliverable.
| Year | Renewals | Did not renew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 15,999 | 2,788 | 18,787 |
| 2005 | 146,899 | 24,234 | 171,133 |
| 2006 | 268,812 | 58,463 | 327,275 |
| 2007 | 260,298 | 55,829 | 316,127 |
| 2008 | 243,155 | 66,006 | 309,161 |
CHART 4: Average processing time for PAL applications (2008)
- New PAL Applications - 45 days
- PAL Renewal Applications - 25 days
- Overall Average Processing Time - 28 days
| Average Processing Time | Awaiting Data Capture | Data Capture | Decision Granting | Statutory Period | Printing | Total Average Processing Time All Stages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New PAL Applications | 8 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 45 |
| PAL Renewal Applications | 7 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 25 |
| Average Time to Process PAL Application | 7 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 32* |
| Average Time to Process POL Application | 6 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 23 |
| Overall Average Licence Application Processing Time | 7 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 28* |
*Totals reflect averaged numbers and rounding up or down
Firearms Registration
THE CFP AT WORK
NWEST provided support to an RCMP detachment after a suspect was stopped with four non-restricted “long guns” in his vehicle. The suspect was evasive when questioned, leading investigators to believe the firearms had been stolen. NWEST conducted CFRO checks on the recovered firearms and determined all four were registered to a local resident and not the person who was in possession of them. The registered owner, who was working out of town, was contacted by police and said that, as far as he was aware, all of his firearms were safely stored at his residence. Police attended the owner’s residence and discovered evidence confirming that his residence had been broken into and that all 16 of his long guns had been stolen. Subsequent investigation resulted in the recovery of the remaining 12 long guns from the suspect.The Firearms Act requires that all non-restricted, restricted and prohibited firearms in Canada be registered. This links the firearm to the licensed owner in the CFIS database where data on each individual firearms licensee as well as each registered firearm is contained. This linking of firearm to owner contributes to public safety in three ways:
- It holds firearm owners accountable for their firearms;
- It assists in investigations involving firearms as it facilitates the tracing of a firearm to its last lawful owner; and
- It provides police officers with up-to-date firearms information and warns them when firearms may be present at a location so they can better protect themselves and their communities.
A subset of the data contained in CFIS comprises the Canadian Firearms Registry Online (CFRO), which police officers can query via CPIC prior to attending a call.
Registration certificates issued under the Firearms Act remain valid unless the firearm’s description changes significantly or it changes ownership. When a firearm is transferred to a new owner, the record must be changed to reflect both the de-registration from the original owner and the re-registration to the new owner.
| Firearm Class | 2007 | 2008 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-restricted Firearms | 6,539,906 | 6,659,534 | 119,628 |
| Restricted Firearms | 448,922 | 478,487 | 29,565 |
| Prohibited Firearms | 226,951 | 230,583 | 3,632 |
| Total | 7,215,779 | 7,368,604 | 152,825 |
| Province/Territory | Non-restricted Firearms | Restricted Firearms | Prohibited Firearms | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 185,824 | 4,143 | 1,634 | 191,601 |
| Prince Edward Island | 21,723 | 1,660 | 909 | 24,292 |
| Nova Scotia | 284,913 | 15,481 | 7,691 | 308,085 |
| New Brunswick | 263,989 | 11,443 | 5,717 | 281,149 |
| Quebec | 1,546,069 | 60,891 | 49,015 | 1,655,975 |
| Ontario | 2,001,474 | 177,022 | 92,622 | 2,271,118 |
| Manitoba | 323,500 | 16,046 | 6,601 | 346,147 |
| Saskatchewan | 376,097 | 23,550 | 9,403 | 409,050 |
| Alberta | 814,309 | 79,070 | 24,850 | 918,229 |
| British Columbia | 769,333 | 86,006 | 31,228 | 886,567 |
| Yukon | 21,040 | 1,558 | 442 | 23,040 |
| Northwest Territories | 17,823 | 1,028 | 322 | 19,173 |
| Nunavut | 10,156 | 145 | 38 | 10,339 |
| Other | 23,284 | 444 | 111 | 23,839 |
| Total | 6,659,534 | 478,487 | 230,583 | 7,368,604 |
Compliance Initiatives
THE CFP AT WORK
Compliance Initiative Data (from May 17, 2008, until December 31, 2008):
- Number of calls received at CPS regarding new POL Initiative: 18,493
- Number of new POL applications mailed out to clients: 55,484
- Number of new POL applications processed by CPS: 11,010
- Number of new POL holders who have applied to re-register their firearms: 4,870
- Expired POL holders who have transferred all their firearms: 3,942
- Expired POL holders who have updated the status of all their firearms to exported, lost, stolen, destroyed, deactivated or protected custody: 2,424
In 2008, the government announced three initiatives intended to promote compliance. These initiatives are valid until May 16, 2009:
- New Possession Only Licence (POL) -- Certain individuals whose POLs have expired are given the opportunity to apply for a new POL.
- Amnesty -- A 2006 government-introduced amnesty is extended. Certain owners of unregistered, non-restricted firearms may not face criminal liability, providing they take steps to register the firearms and thus comply with the law.
- Fee Waiver -- Extension of a 2006 waiver of the fee for the renewal of a POL or a PAL. The waiver also applies to upgrading licences from POL to PAL, adding new licence privileges, replacing an expired licence with a new one and renewing a Minor’s Licence. Licence holders who have already paid these fees will be issued refunds.
