Regulations Amending the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted: SOR/2020-96

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 154, Extra Number 3

Registration

SOR/2020-96 May 1, 2020

CRIMINAL CODE

P.C. 2020-298 May 1, 2020

Whereas the Governor in Council is not of the opinion that any thing prescribed to be a prohibited firearm or a prohibited device, in the Annexed Regulations, is reasonable for use in Canada for hunting or sporting purposes;

Therefore, Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, pursuant to the definitions “non-restricted firearm”footnote a, “prohibited device”footnote b, “prohibited firearm”footnote b and “restricted firearm”footnote b in subsection 84(1) of the Criminal Codefootnote c and to subsection 117.15(1)footnote b of that Act, makes the annexed Regulations Amending the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted.

Regulations Amending the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted

Amendments

1 The title of the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restrictedfootnote 1 is replaced by the following:

Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited or Restricted

2 Sections 3.1 to 3.2 of the Regulations are repealed.

3 (1) Item 83 of Part 1 of the schedule to the Regulations is replaced by the following:

83 The firearms of the designs commonly known as the SG-550 rifle and SG-551 carbine, and any variants or modified versions of them, including the SAN Swiss Arms

(2) Part 1 of the schedule to the Regulations is amended by adding the following after item 86:

Other

87 The firearms of the designs commonly known as the M16, AR-10 and AR-15 rifles and the M4 carbine, and any variants or modified versions of them — other than one referred to in item 47, 49 or 50 of this Part — including the

88 The firearm of the design commonly known as the Ruger Mini-14 rifle, and any variant or modified version of it, including the

89 The firearm of the design commonly known as the US Rifle, M14, and any variant or modified version of it, including the

90 The firearm of the design commonly known as the Vz58 rifle, and any variant or modified version of it, including the

91 The firearm of the design commonly known as the Robinson Armament XCR rifle, and any variant or modified version of it, including the Robinson Armament

92 The firearms of the designs commonly known as the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 carbine and CZ Scorpion EVO 3 pistol, and any variants or modified versions of them, including the CZ

93 The firearm of the design commonly known as the Beretta Cx4 Storm carbine, and any variant or modified version of it.

94 The firearms of the designs commonly known as the SIG Sauer SIG MCX carbine, SIG Sauer SIG MCX pistol, SIG Sauer SIG MPX carbine and SIG Sauer SIG MPX pistol, and any variants or modified versions of them, including the SIG Sauer

95 Any firearm with a bore diameter of 20 mm or greater — other than one designed exclusively for the purpose of neutralizing explosive devices — including the

96 Any firearm capable of discharging a projectile with a muzzle energy greater than 10,000 joules — other than one referred to in item 12, 13, 14, 20, 22 or 30 of this Part or one designed exclusively for the purpose of neutralizing explosive devices — including the

4 Item 2 of Part 2 of the schedule to the Regulations is repealed.

5 Part 2.1 of the schedule to the Regulations is repealed.

6 Part 4 of the schedule to the Regulations is amended by adding the following after item 3:

Other

4 The upper receiver of any firearm referred to in item 87 of Part 1 of this schedule.

Application Prior to Publication

7 For the purposes of paragraph 11(2)(a) of the Statutory Instruments Act, these Regulations apply according to their terms before they are published in the Canada Gazette.

Coming into Force

8 These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are made.

REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT

(This statement is not part of the Regulations or the Order.)

Issues

Canada has experienced mass shootings in rural and urban areas such as in Nova Scotia, city of Québec, Montréal, and Toronto. Whether at home or abroad, the deadliest mass shootings are commonly perpetrated with assault-style firearms. These events, and concerns about the inherent deadliness of assault-style firearms used in them, have led to increasing public demand for measures to address gun violence and mass shootings in Canada.

The Regulations Amending the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted (Regulations) amend the Regulations that classify firearms (Classification Regulations) to prescribe certain firearms as prohibited firearms. The Regulations prohibit approximately 1 500 models of assault-style firearms, including current and future variants. The Regulations also prescribe the upper receivers of M16, AR-10, AR-15 and M4 pattern firearms to be prohibited devices.

The Regulations address gun violence and the threat to public safety by assault-style firearms. The Government of Canada recognizes that their inherent deadliness makes them unsuitable for civilian use and a serious threat to public safety given the degree to which they can increase the severity of mass shootings.

The Order Declaring an Amnesty Period (2020) (the Amnesty Order) accompanies the Regulations to protect individuals, who were in lawful possession of one or more of the newly prohibited firearms or prohibited devices on the day the Regulations came into force, from criminal liability for unlawful possession for the purpose of allowing individuals to come into compliance with the law.

During the amnesty period, the Government intends to implement a buy-back program to compensate affected owners for the value of their firearms after they are delivered to a police officer; however, until a buy-back program is offered, affected owners will not be eligible for compensation. An option to participate in a grandfathering regime would also be made available for affected owners. Further public communications on the buy-back program and the grandfathering regime will follow later.

The Regulations and the Amnesty Order come into force on the day they are made. The Amnesty Order expires on April 30, 2022.

Background

Canada has experienced mass shootings in rural and urban areas such as in Nova Scotia, city of Québec, Montréal and Toronto. Whether at home or abroad, the deadliest mass shootings are commonly perpetrated with assault-style firearms. Given these events, the growing concern for public safety, the increasing public demand for measures to address gun violence and mass shootings and, in particular, the concern resulting from the inherent deadliness of assault-style firearms that are not suitable for civilian use, these firearms must be prohibited in Canada.

Assault-style firearms are not suitable for hunting or sport shooting purposes given the inherent danger that they pose to public safety. The newly prescribed firearms are primarily designed for military or paramilitary purposes with the capability of injuring, immobilizing or killing humans in large numbers within a short period of time given the basic characteristics they possess, such as a tactical or military design and capability of holding a quickly reloadable large-capacity magazine. While some of these newly prohibited firearms were previously used by individuals for hunting or sporting purposes, it is the view of the Government that those firearms are unreasonable and disproportionate for such purposes. The significant risk that these firearms pose to the public’s safety outweighs any justification for their continued use and availability within Canada given that numerous types of firearms remain available for lawful ownership for hunting or sport shooting purposes.

The Classification Regulations prescribe firearms as prohibited, restricted or nonrestricted, and also include variants and certain modified versions of the listed firearms.

Pursuant to subsections 84(1) and 117.15(1) of the Criminal Code, the Governor in Council (GIC) has the authority to prescribe a firearm or a device to be prohibited in accordance with the definitions of “prohibited firearm” and “prohibited device.”

Pursuant to section 117.14 of the Criminal Code, the GIC is also authorized to declare an amnesty period when a firearm or device is prohibited for the purpose of permitting affected owners to come into compliance with the law.

Objective

The prescribing of firearms as prohibited is intended to limit the access to firearms that are characterized by their design and their capability of inflicting significant harm to Canadians. The Regulations address a growing public concern regarding the safety risk posed by assault-style firearms and their suitability for civilian use. The amendments to the Classification Regulations are intended to reduce the number and availability of assault-style firearms and other firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canada, and to reduce the possibility of these firearms being diverted to the illegal market. Many of the known variants or modified versions of the approximately 1 500 firearms are also specifically prescribed to be prohibited firearms. The Regulations apply to all variants of the principal model, current or future, whether they are expressly listed or not.

Description

The Regulations have been amended to prescribe as prohibited approximately 1 500 models of firearms. Of those, nine principal models of assault-style firearms are prohibited as they (1) have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability (tactical/military design with large magazine capacity), (2) are of modern design, and (3) are present in large volumes in the Canadian market.

The Regulations prescribe the firearms set out below as “prohibited firearms” and also specifically prescribe the known variants of the principal models:

Also included are two new categories of firearms that exceed safe civilian use. These are characterized by the following physical attributes: a 20 mm bore or greater (e.g. grenade launcher) and the capacity to discharge a projectile with a muzzle energy greater than 10 000 joules (e.g. a .50 calibre BMG). These weapons are primarily designed to produce mass human casualties or cause significant property damage at long ranges, and the potential power of these weapons exceeds safe or legitimate civilian use.

Previous classification of the newly prohibited firearm models
 

Principal model

Previous classification

1

M16, AR-10, and AR-15 rifles and M4 carbine (which represent one family of firearms commonly known as the AR Platform)

Mostly restricted, some non-restricted

2

Ruger Mini-14 rifle

Mostly non-restricted, some restricted

3

Vz58 rifle

Mostly non-restricted, some restricted

4

US Rifle M14

Non-restricted

5

Beretta Cx4 Storm carbine

Restricted and non-restricted

6

Robinson Armament XCR rifle

Mostly non-restricted, some restricted

7

CZ Scorpion EVO 3 carbine and pistol

Restricted and non-restricted

8

SIG Sauer SIG MCX and SIG Sauer SIG MPX carbines and pistols

Restricted and non-restricted

9

Swiss Arms Classic Green and Four Seasons series rifles

Non-restricted and restricted
Previous classification of the newly prohibited firearm categories
 

Category

Previous

1

Firearms with 20 mm bore or greater

Non-restricted, a few restricted

2

Firearms capable of discharging a projectile with a muzzle energy greater than 10 000 joules

Non-restricted

While devices exclusively designed for disrupting explosives (also known as “bomb disruptors”) would technically have the attributes of the newly prohibited categories, they have an important function in defusing hazardous explosive devices. Recognizing Canada’s international commitment to global peace and security, these devices are excluded from the prescribed list to permit their export under the Export and Import Permits Act.

The Regulations also prescribe the upper receivers of M16, AR-10, AR-15 and M4 pattern firearms to be prohibited devices in order to ensure that these firearms cannot easily be used with illicitly manufactured or acquired lower receivers. The M16, AR-10, AR-15 and M4 firearms are modular firearms consisting of the lower receiver assembly, which is the component bearing the serial number and subject to registration that is now prohibited; and the upper receiver assembly, which is the pressure bearing component and has not previously been regulated. An owner could possess two or more upper receiver assemblies which can be mounted and dismounted on a lower receiver assembly according to the needs of the occasion. If upper receivers are not also prohibited, there is a significant public safety risk that the upper receiver assemblies would be mated with an illegal lower receiver (i.e. smuggled, made from a receiver blank, or manufactured by 3D printing to supply the illegal market) thus creating unmarked, untraceable M16, AR-10, AR-15 or M4 firearms, commonly known as “ghost guns.” Prohibiting the upper receiver of these rifles will reduce the quantities in circulation and render it much more difficult to illicitly fabricate working firearms.

The Amnesty Order has been made to protect affected individuals who (1) were in legal possession of a newly prohibited firearm or prohibited device at the time the Regulations came into force, and, (2) continue to hold a valid licence during the amnesty period, from criminal liability for unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm in order to afford the individuals with time to dispose of the firearms. Disposal can include: having the firearm deactivated by an approved business; delivering the firearm or device to a police officer; legally exporting the firearm; and, if a business, returning the firearm or device to the manufacturer. Other permitted activities during the amnesty period are to transport the firearm for any of the above purposes and to use the newly prohibited firearm, if previously non-restricted, to hunt for the purposes of sustenance or to exercise a right recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 (the Constitution). Individuals are no longer allowed to import the firearms listed in the Regulations. Affected owners will no longer be permitted to sell to individuals within Canada or use the prohibited firearms, and no transportation will be permitted except for the purposes described above. The firearms will have to be kept securely stored in accordance with the legal storage requirements for the classification of the specified firearms prior to their prohibition.

Individuals may transport the firearms one time to return home with the firearm if it was not at the owner’s residence at the time the prohibition came into force, or, if not the owner and in possession of the firearm on the day the prohibition came into force, return the firearm to its owner.

The amnesty period begins on the date of coming into force of the Amnesty Order and expires on April 30, 2022. Upon the expiration of the Amnesty Order, individuals who are in possession of a prohibited firearm or prohibited device could be prosecuted for unlawful possession.

The Government intends to implement a buy-back program, which would allow affected owners to declare their intent to deliver their firearms to a police officer. The buy-back would compensate affected owners for the value of their firearms after they are delivered to a police officer. An option to participate in a grandfathering regime would also be made available for affected owners.

While an individual may dispose of a firearm by deactivating it, legally exporting it or delivering it to a police officer prior to the implementation of the buy-back program, compensation will not be available until the buy-back program is in effect. An individual should not deliver a firearm to a police station without first making arrangements with a police officer for a safe and scheduled delivery or pick up.

Regulatory development

Consultation

Extensive public engagement on the issue of banning handguns and assault-style firearms, led by the then Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, took place between October 2018 and February 2019 with the provinces and territories, municipalities, Indigenous groups, law enforcement, community organizations, and industry. The intent of this engagement was to hear from a wide range of stakeholders, which included those both in support of and in opposition to limiting access to firearms. The engagement process included a series of eight in-person roundtables, an online questionnaire, a written submission process, and bilateral meetings with a range of stakeholders. The roundtables were held in four cities across the country (Vancouver, Montréal, Toronto, and Moncton), and 77 stakeholders participated in these sessions. In addition, 134 917 online questionnaires were received, as well as 36 written submissions, and 92 stakeholders were consulted in the bilateral meetings.

Many participants expressed their views that a ban on assault-style firearms was needed in order to protect public safety. As a result of the clear need for immediate action to implement the ban on the prescribed prohibited firearms, and to avoid a potential run on the market, no additional consultations with the public, the provinces and territories, or Indigenous groups were contemplated prior to the effective date of the amendment to the Classification Regulations.

Given the possibility of criminal liability associated with possessing a prohibited firearm, the Government has moved to implement the Amnesty Order expeditiously and, as a result, no consultations have been undertaken relative to this Order.

Modern treaty obligations and Indigenous engagement and consultation

The Amnesty Order permits the use of any of the newly prohibited firearms, if previously non-restricted, to hunt for the purposes of sustenance or to exercise a right recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution. From fall 2018 to spring 2019, the Government held extensive engagement with Indigenous groups, provinces and territories, municipalities, law enforcement agencies, academics, victim groups and other key stakeholders on limiting access to assault-style firearms and handguns. Recognizing that some Indigenous and sustenance hunters could be using previously non-restricted firearms for their hunting and may be unable to replace these firearms immediately, the Amnesty Order includes provisions for the limited use of these firearms for such purposes. Following the publication of the Regulations, the Government will continue to engage with Indigenous groups to assess whether the prohibition of these firearms has a continued impact on the right to hunt affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution.

Instrument choice

Given that the Regulations specifically prescribe firearms as prohibited, restricted and non-restricted in Canada, amendments to the Regulations are required to change the current listing of any firearms. The identified firearms will be legally reclassified as prohibited to reduce the number and availability of assault-style firearms and firearms that exceed safe civilian use in Canadian markets and to reduce the possibility of these firearms being diverted to illegal markets. No non-regulatory options were considered.

Regulatory analysis

Benefits and costs

The costs associated with implementing a buy-back program and grandfathering regime have not yet been finalized. Figures reflect estimates of the portion of projected costs associated with compensation of owners, and are determined by estimates of the number of firearms implicated. Further, given the uncertain number of impacted non-restricted firearms and the program complexity, there may be additional costs.

There are 2.2 million individual firearms licence holders in Canada. It is unknown how many exactly will be affected by the prohibition; however, there are approximately 90 000 restricted firearms that would be affected; and an unknown number of non-restricted firearms (due to the fact that non-restricted firearms do not need to be registered in accordance with the Firearms Act). The implicated firearms represent some of the most prevalent firearms within the Canadian market that are of modern design, have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability and which are able to receive a quickly reloadable, large capacity magazine. The majority of affected owners of the currently restricted firearms reside in Alberta, British Columbia or Ontario. The regional breakdown for affected owners of the currently non-restricted firearms is unknown because these firearms are not registered.

A Conference Board of Canada report on The Economic Footprint of Angling, Hunting, Trapping and Sport Shooting in Canada published in September 2019, found that an estimated 1.4 million Canadians participate in legal sport shooting. These sport shooters may find themselves temporarily unable to participate in the sport if their primary means of participating is with a newly prohibited firearm. Sport shooters may already possess or may purchase other firearms suitable for sport shooting, and if they turn in their prohibited firearm during the buy-back program, would receive compensation. Sport shooting contributed an estimated $1.8 billion to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018, as well as $868 million in labour income, and supports about 14 555 full-time equivalent jobs. These figures may be affected in the short term by the prohibition on certain firearms, but these impacts may be mitigated by increases in purchases of new firearms that are not being prohibited.

In addition, 1.3 million Canadians participate in legal hunting. These owners may also be affected if they have been using a newly prohibited firearm that was previously nonrestricted. If they have been using such a firearm for sustenance hunting or to exercise a right affirmed in section 35 of the Constitution, they may continue to use their firearm for the same purpose, until the end of the amnesty period. Hunting contributes an estimated $4.1 billion to Canada’s GDP as well as $2 billion in labour income, and supports about 33 313 full-time equivalent jobs.

The 2018 Commissioner of Firearms Report states that there are 4 442 licenced firearms businesses, of which 2 004 are for ammunition only, not including carriers and museums. Firearms business licences are issued to businesses, museums or organizations that manufacture, sell, possess, handle, display or store firearms or ammunition. The number of small businesses included in these figures is unknown, but likely comprises a large majority. Some of these businesses may see in the short term a decrease in profits as a result of the prohibition. These impacts may be mitigated by the buy-back program and the ability to return prohibited firearms to their manufacturer, and potentially by purchases of new firearms to replace those being prohibited.

Small business lens

While small businesses may assume some compliance costs arising from these Regulations, the costs are extremely difficult to assess as the inventory held by private businesses is unknown. Some costs may include lost interest from the inability to sell this inventory for a profit and possible restocking fees if the business chooses to return the affected firearms in their inventory to their foreign supplier for reimbursement. Firearms that cannot be exported may be eligible for the buy-back program.

It is likely that businesses selling newly prohibited firearms would experience a reduction in sales and as a result may reduce staff or cease operations. Some businesses may choose to switch to a new product line to replace those firearms. A Conference Board of Canada study completed in September 2019 determined that sport shooting and hunting contribute $5.9 billion to Canada’s GDP, as well as $2.9 billion in labour income. The sport shooting and hunting industries also support approximately 48 000 jobs.

One-for-one rule

The one-for-one rule does not apply to these Regulations as there will be no incremental change in administrative burden to business. The Regulations do not introduce new administrative requirements for businesses.

Regulatory cooperation and alignment

As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Canada must comply with different notification obligations before making regulations that could have an impact on trade. These notifications are in addition to Canada’s general obligations not to impose prohibitions on the importation or exportation of goods and not to treat some nations more favourably than others unless justified. Specifically, under the WTO’s Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement, Canada must give notification of proposed regulations within a reasonable time. A WTO member may not be required to follow the normal notification periods under the TBT Agreement under certain circumstances, including urgent circumstances regarding safety, health, environmental protection or national security. The Government of Canada has taken the position that the prohibition of these firearms is a matter of public safety and security therefore Canada has not given the advance notification as required by the WTO. In addition, Canada has not given advance notice in an effort to avoiding creating a potential run on the market before it is frozen by the prohibition.

Strategic environmental assessment

There will be low environmental impacts resulting from the buy-back program and the subsequent disposal/destruction of prohibited firearms.

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+)

Measures to limit access to firearms are expected to have different impacts on certain populations in Canada, such as males, who are the largest group of firearms owners, and youth, who are overrepresented as perpetrators of firearm-related crime. These measures would benefit both males and females, as about two-thirds of victims of gun violence are male; however, according to Statistics Canada approximately 85% of police-reported victims in 2016 of intimate partner violence incidents involving a firearm were women.

Measures to reduce access to firearms are expected to have a higher impact on western provinces, which experience firearm-related crimes at a higher rate compared to the rest of Canada.

Indigenous persons are victims of homicides involving firearms at a much higher rate than the Canadian population and this figure appears to be increasing. The total number of Indigenous victims of firearms-related homicides rose from 10.4% in 2014 to 13.5% in 2016.

Rationale

The Regulations address gun violence and the threat to public safety by assault-style firearms. The Government of Canada recognizes that their inherent deadliness makes them unsuitable for civilian use and a serious threat to public safety given the degree to which they can increase the severity of mass shootings.

Prescribing these firearms as prohibited supports the Government’s objective to ban assault-style firearms and to reduce the risk of diversion to illegal markets for criminal use. The prescribed list represents the most prevalent assault-style firearms in the Canadian market. The list prohibits assault-style firearms within the Canadian market that have semi-automatic action with sustained rapid-fire capability, including the AR-15 and its variants or modified versions thereof. Any firearm having a 20 mm bore or greater (e.g. grenade launchers) or a capability of discharging a projectile with a muzzle energy above 10 000 joules (e.g. .50 calibre sniper rifles) will also be prohibited.

Prohibiting additional firearms and providing an amnesty for the disposal of prevalent assault-style firearms and other firearms exceeding safe civilian use will respond directly to a key and growing public safety concern that these firearms are not suitable for civilian use as they can and have been used in mass shootings in Canada and internationally. The addition of the newly prohibited firearms to the Classification Regulations aligns with the Government’s mandate to ban assault-style firearms and reduce the risk of diversion of firearms to the illegal market.

The prohibited firearms are tactical and/or military-style firearms and are not reasonable for hunting or sport shooting. Individuals may have used some of the listed firearms for hunting purposes on the basis that they were previously classified as non-restricted firearms. In addition, some of the listed firearms may have been used by individuals for sport shooting on the basis that they have been classified as restricted or non-restricted. However, the fact that these firearms are sometimes used for hunting or sport shooting does not supersede the fact that they were built with the intent to be used by the military and are capable of killing a large number of people in a short period of time. Due to the public safety concerns posed by these firearms, they are not reasonable for use in Canada for hunting or sport shooting purposes.

The Regulations also prescribe the upper receivers of M16, AR-10, AR-15 and M4 pattern firearms to be prohibited devices in order to ensure that these firearms cannot easily be used with illicitly manufactured or acquired lower receivers. The M16, AR-10, AR-15 and M4 firearms are modular firearms consisting of the lower receiver assembly, which is the component bearing the serial number and subject to registration and that is now prohibited; and the upper receiver assembly, which is the pressure-bearing component and has not previously been regulated. An owner could possess two or more upper receiver assemblies, which can be mounted and dismounted on a lower receiver assembly according to the needs of the occasion. If upper receivers were not also prohibited, there would be an important public safety risk that the upper receiver assemblies would be mated with an illegal lower receiver (i.e. smuggled, made from a receiver blank, or manufactured by 3D printing to supply the illegal market) thus creating unmarked untraceable M16, AR-10, AR-15 or M4 firearms, commonly known as “ghost guns.” Prohibiting the upper receiver of these rifles will reduce the quantities in circulation and render it much more difficult to illicitly fabricate working firearms.

The Amnesty Order encourages compliance with the law and seeks to protect lawful firearms owners who acted in good faith when they acquired the firearms before the coming into force of Regulations and the Amnesty Order. It provides affected owners with a reasonable amount of time to divest themselves of the firearms by any of the means set out in the Amnesty Order. The Government intends to implement a buy-back program which would allow affected owners to declare their intent to participate in the program in order to be eligible for compensation once the owner turns in the firearm. A grandfathering regime would also be made available for owners of the newly prohibited firearms.

Implementation, compliance and enforcement, and service standards

The disposal of the prescribed prohibited firearms is dependent on voluntary compliance by affected owners and businesses. Calculation of the compliance rate will be complicated by the lack of information about non-restricted firearms and their owners; the compliance rate for non-restricted firearms will be based on the number of owners who declare themselves to be in possession of one or more affected firearms. The amount of compensation being offered per firearm may also affect the level of compliance. Communications are in place emphasizing the obligation on affected owners to comply with the new prohibitions, and further public communications on the compensation program will follow in the near future.

There is also a risk that affected firearms owners may elect to replace their firearms with models unaffected by the ban, causing a market displacement. This risk may be mitigated by adding additional makes and models to the list of prohibited firearms in the future.

The amendment to the Classification Regulations and the Amnesty Order come into force on the day on which they are made. The Amnesty Order will expire on April 30, 2022. Those who remain in possession of these firearms or devices at the end of the amnesty period could be subject to criminal liability for unlawful possession.

Contact

By mail:

Public Safety Canada
269 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0P8

General enquiries:

Telephone: 1‑800‑731‑4000
Fax: 613‑825‑0297
Email: ps.firearms-armesafeu.sp@canada.ca