Amnesty

An amnesty has been enacted to protect eligible individuals from penalties under the Criminal Code for unlawful possession of a non-restricted firearm for the duration of this amnesty, that is, from May 17, 2006 to May 17, 2007.

The amnesty applies to individuals in the following circumstances:

• Individuals who are in possession of a non-restricted firearm and hold a possession only licence (POL) or a possession and acquisition licence (PAL) for such a firearm, but do not hold a registration certificate for that firearm; or

• Individuals who are in possession of a non-restricted firearm, who do not hold a registration certificate for the firearm in question and who:
• Held a POL or a PAL that expired between January 1, 2004 and May 17, 2006; or
• Currently hold a POL or a PAL that will expire between May 17, 2006 and May 17, 2007.

The amnesty permits the following:

• Individuals described in the first circumstance above can obtain a registration certificate for their non-restricted firearm;
• Individuals described in the second circumstance above can obtain a licence and registration certificate; or
• All individuals can:
• deactivate the firearm so that it is no longer a firearm;
• export the firearm in accordance with all legal requirements, including those of the importing country;
• turn in the firearm to a police officer or a firearms officer for destruction or other disposal;
• sell or give the firearm to a public service agency, to a business (including a museum) that holds a licence authorizing the acquisition or to an individual who holds a PAL; or
• possess the firearm before doing one of the things previously described.

The amnesty does not apply to individuals who never obtained a firearms licence.

Fee waiver and refund

Fee Waiver

As of May 17, 2006, individuals no longer have to pay the fee for the renewal of their possession only licence (POL) or their possession and acquisition licence (PAL). The fee waiver also applies to:

• individuals who are modifying their licence to upgrade from a POL to a PAL;
• individuals who are adding new privileges to their licence;
• individuals who’s licence expired and are obtaining a new licence; and
• minors who renew their minors possession licence.

This fee waiver does not apply to:

• individuals obtaining their first licence;
• individuals who held a minors licence and are applying for a PAL;
• individuals who are obtaining a new licence after their licence was refused or revoked; and
• individuals obtaining a licence after the expiry of a firearms prohibition order.

This fee waiver is in effect until May 17, 2008.

Fee Refund

In light of the above-mentioned fee waiver and in order to treat all firearm owners fairly and equally, a fees remission order has been granted. Licence holders who have already paid the fee to renew their licence, to upgrade their POL to a PAL, to obtain a new licence after their current licence expired or to add privileges to their licence will be refunded. To be eligible for this refund, the individual must have paid the applicable fee between December 1, 1998 and May 17, 2006. The refunds will be sent out to eligible individuals over the next few months.

Verification of Firearms

The Canadian Firearms Program has launched a new process for verification of non-restricted firearms in order to facilitate registration. When an individual wishes to register or transfer a non-restricted firearm, the verification will now be done over the telephone by employees of the Firearms Program. While volunteer verifiers will no longer be performing such duties, businesses and police services will still need to have verifiers on staff to perform verification of the firearms in their inventory. If businesses wish to do so, they can continue to verify firearms for members of the public. In the case of shooting clubs, they will still be able to have verifiers on staff to help their clients with firearm verification.

In fact, only non-restricted firearms will be verified by telephone. Restricted and prohibited firearms will still require physical verification. However, this will not be done by members of the volunteer verifiers’ network. Only verifiers who are employees of businesses or shooting clubs as well as trained police officers and firearms officers will be authorized to physically verify firearms of these classes.

When conducting firearm verifications by telephone, employees of the Firearms Program will ask the client for a complete description of the firearm. It is very important that clients have their firearm with them when they call the Firearms Program, as the verification officer will ask them very precise questions. The verification officer will then compare that description with information found in the Firearms Reference Table (an RCMP tool that contains the complete description of every known firearm). If there are any discrepancies, the Firearms Program employee, acting under authority of the Registrar of Firearms, can require a physical verification of the firearm.

Since 1998, a network of volunteer verifiers has been set up to ensure the physical verification of firearms before they are registered. Thanks to their dedication and the time they have invested in providing free verification services, volunteer verifiers have been an incredible asset to the Firearms Program. During an extensive consultation exercise with verifiers and clients, issues were brought up concerning accessibility to verifiers in various areas of the country and concerning the costs that verifiers have to sometimes incur to perform their duties, such as those for travel and equipment. In light of these issues, the Firearms Program has modified its verification procedures to help clients and alleviate the burden on volunteer verifiers.

If you have any questions about the new verification process, please contact the Canadian Firearms Program at 1 800 731-4000.

Organizational Changes

The Canada Firearms Centre (CAFC) was created in 1996 to oversee the administration of the Firearms Act and regulations. In 2003, it was established as a stand-alone agency within the portfolio of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada. As of May 17, 2006, the Canadian Firearms Program has been transferred under the responsibility of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This change is in keeping with the Government’s objective of reducing gun crime while allowing Canadian police authorities to more effectively coordinate gun control activities with other crime control measures.

As such, the RCMP is now responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the Program as well as for financial and performance reporting to Parliament. This change in the structure of the Firearms Program will enable to government to save money and streamline the administration of the Program.

The CAFC and RCMP have been long-time partners in delivering various gun control services and initiatives. Furthermore, before the creation of the current Canadian Firearms Program, the RCMP administered the old Restricted Weapons Registration System and the Firearms Acquisition Certificate system. The RCMP is therefore extremely well equipped to administer the current Firearms Program.

This organizational change will have no impact on client service. The same services will be offered by the Canadian Firearms Program to all of our clients. The Canadian Firearms Program can still be contacted through the toll-free information line at 1 800 731-4000.