Bwild:Laws and regulation

By law, a potential customer must be 18 years of age or older to purchase a firearm or legally maintain possession of one. Citizens of Canada under the age of 18 but over the age of 12 may procure a Minor’s Licence which does not allow them to purchase a firearm but allows them to borrow a firearm unsupervised and purchase ammunition. Children under the age of 12 that are found to need a firearm to hunt or trap may also be awarded the Minor's Licence. This is generally reserved for children in remote locations, primarily aboriginal communities that engage in subsistence hunting.[9]

Removable bullpup stocks are classified as prohibited devices. This regulation led to the RCMP classifying the stock of the Walther G22 rifle as prohibited while the internal components remained non-restricted. Purpose built bullpup firearms such as the PS-90 and IMI Tavor are not subject to this regulation since the stock is integral to their workings and is thus not removable.

By law, as of January 1, 2001, all firearms in Canada must legally be registered with the Canadian Firearms Registry. In early 2006 the Conservative Party of Canada formed the 39th Canadian government and announced an amnesty period of one year (later extended by a further year) in which licenced or previously licenced long gun owners would not be punished for not registering their long guns. The legal requirement to register as set forth by law has not been revoked; legislation to revoke the requirement to register long-guns was introduced by the Government during the 39th Parliament but was not brought to a vote. It was opposed by the Opposition parties who together have a majority of seats in the House of Commons. However, similar legislation may again be brought forward in the 40th Parliament since the Conservative Government remains committed to the abolition of long-gun registration.[10]

To purchase a handgun or other restricted firearm, a person must have a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) for restricted firearms and be a member of a certified range. To use restricted firearms a person must also obtain long term authorization to transport (LTATT) from their provincial Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) to move the firearm to and from the range. Short term authorization to transport (STATT) is required in most cases to move a firearm from a business to the owner's home, or when the owner wishes to change the address where the firearm is stored. Firearms can be shipped without a STATT by a bonded courier directly to an owner's home.

Semi-automatic center-fire rifles and semi-automatic shotguns have a maximum magazine capacity of five rounds. Some rifles such as the M1 Garand are exempted from this requirement by name[11]. There is no restriction of magazine capacity for rimfire rifles or manual action rifles and shotguns. All handguns have a maximum capacity of ten rounds. The legal capacity of a specific magazine is determined by the firearm it was made for, not the firearm it is used in.

Canada's federal laws also restrict the ability of persons, including most security guards, to carry restricted or prohibited firearms in public, although generally carrying non-restricted firearms is permitted (although subject to other restrictions such breaching the peace if carried in manner that might alarm bystanders, such as in a city setting). For example, section 17 of the Firearms Act makes it an offence for anyone, including a security guard, to possess prohibited or restricted firearms (i.e. handguns) outside of his or her home. There are two exceptions to this prohibition found in sections 18 and 19 of the Act. Section 18 allows for persons to be issued an Authorization to Transport, or ATT, authorizing the transport of a firearm outside the home for certain purposes, such as going to and from a range, a training course or repair shop. Such firearms must be unloaded, stored in secure, locked containers and equipped with a trigger lock. Section 19 of the Act goes on to allow individuals to receive an Authorization to Carry, or ATC, granting permission to carry loaded restricted firearms on their persons for certain reasons specified in the Act. These reasons are as follows: if the person is a licensed trapper and carries the firearm while trapping, if the person is in a remote wilderness area and needs the firearm for protection against wildlife, if the person's work involves guarding or handling money or other items of substantial value, or if the person's life is in danger and police protection is inadequate to protect him or her. It should be noted that the authorities almost never issue an ATC for the last reason, that is to say, because a person's life is threatened and police protection is inadequate. Generally, the only Canadian security guards who receive authorization to carry firearms are those employed by armoured car companies.