British Columbia gun laws are set almost entirely by federal statute: the Firearms Act and the Criminal Code of Canada govern licensing, storage, transport, and transfers, while BC’s Wildlife Act and local bylaws control where you can actually pull the trigger. A federally appointed Chief Firearms Officer for British Columbia administers these rules inside the province, handling licence applications, transport authorizations, and eligibility reviews.
Getting Licensed to Own a Firearm
You cannot legally possess a firearm in BC without a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL). Getting one starts with the Canadian Firearms Safety Course, a classroom course covering safe handling, storage, and the legal responsibilities of ownership. You need to pass both a written and a practical test to qualify for a non-restricted PAL.1Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Safety Courses
To own restricted firearms, you also need to pass the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course and its own two tests.1Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Safety Courses Hunters aged 18 or older face an extra provincial requirement, the Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education (CORE) program, which is mandatory for a BC Hunting Licence.
New applicants use RCMP form 5592 (the 5614 form is for renewals).2Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Information Sheet – Application for a Possession and Acquisition Licence Under the Firearms Act Expect to disclose your history of mental health treatment, criminal charges, restraining orders, and involvement in domestic violence incidents. You’ll also provide photo ID and personal references.
One requirement catches many first-time applicants off guard: the law requires you to notify your current and former conjugal partners, and those individuals get a chance to raise safety concerns with the Chief Firearms Officer directly. Omitting a partner can sink your application.
Completed applications go to the Canadian Firearms Program in Miramichi, New Brunswick.3Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Contact the Canadian Firearms Program First-time applicants without an existing licence face a mandatory 28-day waiting period.4Justice Laws Website. Firearms Licences Regulations Real processing times usually run well past that minimum, and the Chief Firearms Officer may call you or your references.
The non-restricted PAL costs roughly $70; adding restricted privileges brings it to about $94.5Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Changes to Service Fees The licence is valid for five years.
Firearm Classes and What They Mean for You
Every firearm in Canada falls into one of three classes, and the class dictates your licensing tier, storage requirements, and where you can use it.6Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Classes of Firearms in Canada
- Non-restricted firearms are most ordinary rifles and shotguns used for hunting or rural property protection.
- Restricted firearms are most handguns and certain semi-automatic rifles. Owning one requires the restricted licence tier, registration of each firearm to you, and membership in an approved shooting club or range.6Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Classes of Firearms in Canada
- Prohibited firearms include fully automatic weapons, converted automatics, and certain short-barrelled handguns. New applicants generally cannot acquire these.
Classification turns on barrel length, action type, and overall design, so confirming a firearm’s class before you acquire it is the most important step you can take. Getting it wrong is a criminal matter. Under Section 91 of the Criminal Code, unauthorized possession of a non-restricted firearm can bring up to five years in prison as an indictable offence.7Department of Justice Canada. Criminal Code – Section 91 Unauthorized Possession of Firearm Section 95, covering possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm with readily accessible ammunition, carries a maximum of 14 years.8Justice Laws Website. Criminal Code – Section 95 Possession of Prohibited or Restricted Firearm With Ammunition
The National Handgun Freeze
Since October 21, 2022, Canada has frozen the sale, purchase, and transfer of handguns between individuals. Under the freeze, codified through former Bill C-21, you generally cannot buy a handgun from another person or import a newly acquired one.9Public Safety Canada. Former Bill C-21 Keeping Canadians Safe From Gun Crime
If you already had a registered handgun before the freeze took effect, you can keep possessing and using it for target shooting or as part of a collection. Narrow exemptions still allow acquisition by people who hold an Authorization to Carry for a lawful profession, and by athletes training or competing in a handgun discipline on the International Olympic or Paralympic program.9Public Safety Canada. Former Bill C-21 Keeping Canadians Safe From Gun Crime Licensed businesses such as gunsmiths, museums, and film production companies can also receive handguns through authorized channels. For everyone else, handgun ownership in BC is now limited to those already licensed and registered before October 2022.
Buying, Selling, or Gifting a Firearm
Every private transfer of a firearm must run through the Canadian Firearms Program. Before handing over a non-restricted firearm, the seller has to get a reference number from the Registrar of Firearms confirming that the buyer’s licence is valid and covers that class of firearm.10Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Buying and Selling (Transferring) Firearms Reference numbers can be requested through the Individual Web Services portal or by calling 1-800-731-4000.
The seller provides the buyer’s licence number, date of birth, and email address, and must have taken reasonable steps to verify the buyer’s identity. That means comparing the buyer’s face to the licence photo in person, or using a video call or a second piece of government photo ID for a remote sale.10Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Buying and Selling (Transferring) Firearms A reference number stays good for 90 days or until the buyer’s licence expires, whichever comes first.
Restricted long guns must be registered to the new owner. Private handgun transfers between individuals are effectively banned by the freeze, outside the narrow exemptions above.
Safe Storage and Transport
Improper storage is one of the most common ways licensed owners end up charged. The federal Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations set the floor.
Non-restricted firearms have to be made inoperable with a secure locking device (a trigger or cable lock) or kept in a locked container or room. Restricted firearms have to carry a secure locking device and be stored inside a locked, solidly constructed container or vault. Ammunition must be stored separately from the firearm or locked in its own container, out of reach of any unlicensed person in the household.
When transporting any firearm in a vehicle, it must be unloaded and out of sight. Non-restricted firearms need nothing more than that plus the locking device. Restricted firearms require an Authorization to Transport (ATT). Since July 2021, an ATT is automatically attached to your licence for travel between your home and an approved shooting range in your province of residence, and for moving a firearm to storage after purchase.11Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Authorization to Transport Anywhere else, including to a gunsmith or an out-of-province gun show, needs a separate ATT from the Chief Firearms Officer.
Leaving a firearm in an unlocked vehicle, even briefly, is a serious offence and typically results in seizure and licence revocation.
If a firearm is lost or stolen, report it to local police and the Chief Firearms Officer as soon as possible. Prompt reporting is a legal obligation and shields you from liability if the firearm turns up in a crime.
Where You Can Shoot in BC
Where you can legally discharge a firearm in BC depends on the Wildlife Act, hunting regulations, and municipal bylaws working together. The Wildlife Act flatly prohibits discharging a firearm on or across the travelled portion of a highway, or on roads maintained by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure or the Ministry of Forests.12Government of British Columbia. Wildlife Act Hunting rules add setback distances from dwellings and roadways that vary by management unit and season, so check the current Hunting and Trapping Synopsis before heading out.
Cities are far stricter. Vancouver, Victoria, and most other municipalities ban firearm discharge inside city limits through local bylaws. The Local Government Act gives municipalities broad power to set penalties, including fines that can run into the thousands and, for continuing offences, escalate daily.13BC Laws. Local Government Act – Bylaw Contraventions Conservation officers enforce Wildlife Act rules in rural areas; bylaw officers and RCMP handle urban zones. Verify local rules before shooting anywhere, because the answer changes sharply between remote hunting country and a rural-residential lot.
If you own restricted firearms and want to target shoot, you have to be a member of an approved shooting club or range. That membership is a condition of being authorized to possess restricted firearms for target shooting.6Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Classes of Firearms in Canada
Renewing Your Licence Before It Bites You
A PAL runs for five years. Submit your renewal well before the expiry date, because processing delays are routine and a lapsed licence causes real trouble.
If your licence expires before you renew, the Firearms Act triggers an automatic six-month grace period. During those six months you can continue to possess your firearms, but you cannot use them, acquire new firearms, or buy ammunition. Any existing Authorization to Transport or Authorization to Carry does not extend into the grace period. The only transport authorization available during those six months is one to move a firearm for disposal by sale or export.14Justice Laws Website. Firearms Act – Section 64
If the grace period lapses without a renewal, you are in unlawful possession, which puts you back inside Section 91 of the Criminal Code. The Chief Firearms Officer will send a notice about the extension, but treat that letter as a courtesy and not a safety net. Put the expiry date on your calendar and submit paperwork months early.
Firearms in an Estate
When a firearm owner dies, the executor can legally possess the deceased’s firearms while settling the estate, even without a personal licence. The one exception: an executor barred from firearms by a court order cannot take possession.15Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Transfer of Firearms From Estates
Executors file RCMP form 6016 (Declaration of Authority to Act on Behalf of an Estate) with the death certificate, letters of probate, or another official confirmation of death. The Canadian Firearms Program can help identify what the deceased owned and whether registration certificates are current.15Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Transfer of Firearms From Estates
All firearms must be safely stored and then transferred or disposed of within a reasonable time. Non-restricted rifles and shotguns can go to any properly licensed individual through the standard reference-number process. Handguns cannot be transferred to another individual because of the freeze, outside the narrow exemptions. If no eligible beneficiary exists, disposal options include:
- Transfer to a licensed business, auction house, or museum authorized to hold the firearm’s class.
- Export from Canada with a permit from Global Affairs Canada.
- Permanent deactivation by an approved gunsmith so the item no longer qualifies as a firearm.
- Surrender to a firearms officer or local police.
Executors who hold onto firearms indefinitely risk sliding from lawful temporary possession into unauthorized possession. If you’re managing an estate with guns and aren’t sure how to proceed, call the Canadian Firearms Program at 1-800-731-4000 early.15Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Transfer of Firearms From Estates