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Canada's Gun Control Law
Historically, Canada has had relatively strict controls on handguns.
Since the 1930’s handguns were restricted weapons. Changes in the 1977
Criminal Law Amendment Act distinguished between “unrestricted weapons” (rifles
and shotguns); restricted weapons (primarily handguns; short-barreled semi-automatics,
and grand-fathered prohibited weapons) and prohibited weapons (fully automatic
firearms and sawed off shotguns). Restricted weapons permits could be issued
to individuals if they were required for “lawful occupation”, ...download pdf
Licensing all Gun Owners and Registering all Firearms
Licensing all firearm owners and registering all firearms are important measures to keep Canada safe. As of September 2010, there were 1.8 million licensed firearm owners and 6.87 million firearms registered as “non-restricted firearms” in Canada, including rifles and shotguns, as well as powerful semi-automatics such as the Ruger Mini 14 used to kill 14 at the Montreal Massacre and sniper rifles. Non-restricted firearms account for 90% of all registered firearms. ... ...download pdf
Implementation Issues
Laws are only words on paper unless they are backed up with strong implementation strategies. In addressing gun violence, an integrated strategy is critical. It must address primary prevention, but also ensure that the laws are applied and backed up by the courts. ...download pdf
Military Assault Weapons
One of the essential elements in the Coalition for Gun Control position- supported by more than 300 organizations across the country, as well as by the population- is a ban on military assault weapons. The majority of the approximately 7 million firearms currently owned in Canada is not military weapons but hunting rifles and shotguns -currently classified as non-restricted firearms. Many unrestricted firearms are also semi-automatic. Although many Canadians would support a ban on all semi automatics, the Coalition for Gun Control’s position is not to prohibit semi-automatics designed for hunting. However, the Coalition for Gun Control does insist that all gun owners have renewable licenses and all guns be registered... ...download pdf
Police, victims of gun violence, health care, domestic violence support the law and fought for it all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. In June 2000, the Supreme Court ruled the law was fully constitutional. The Province of Alberta, along with several other provinces and gun organizations, challenged the constitutionality of the law in the Alberta Court of Appeal arguing that while it was legitimate for the federal government to license handgun owners and register handguns, it was a violation of provincial jurisdiction to extend these provisions to long guns(rifles and shotguns). In October 1998, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled 3-2 in favour of the federal government’s position ...download pdf
To read the Supreme Court decision ...click here