Author: Luther Cutts, Head Instructor (NSCA Level 3), Competitor
As an instructor for the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC), I cannot help but notice the increasing interest in firearms use in Alberta. I teach the courses with another Instructor, and our monthly classes are normally full – sometimes we will even turn people away. Young women have been increasingly taking these classes, which is encouraging – firearms use, enjoyment, and ownership should not be limited to men.
In teaching these classes, we get asked a lot of questions, as the laws relating to firearms can sometimes be confusing. As a current or future firearms owner or user, we are all required stay abreast of the laws regarding firearms. There is, regrettably, always some misinformation on this topic. Your individual interests will be best served when you have a factual understanding of the law as it relates to firearms.
Below are some of the representative questions we are presented with regarding the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and the required Possession and Acquisition License.
When is someone required to take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC)?
- Anyone over the age of 12-years, wanting to acquire, own, use, borrow, or possess a firearm, or ammunition in Canada is required to take the CFSC,
- Anyone from another country that regularly brings firearms into Canada on a temporary basis,
- Anyone who previously had a PAL, but it was revoked and the individual was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition by a criminal court of law, or
- Anyone who inherits a non-restricted firearm
When is someone required to take the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC)?
- Anyone over the age of 18 wanting to be able to shoot a restricted firearm at an approved range without close, direct supervision,
- Anyone over the age of 18 wanting to borrow a restricted firearm, or
- Anyone over the age of 18 wanting to apply for a Temporary Storage Permit.
When am I NOT required to take the CFSC?
- If you have passed the CFSC at some point in the past,
- If you are renewing your expired Possession and Acquisition License (PAL),
- If you are not going to own or possess firearms or ammunition in Canada,
- If you will only be operating firearms under the direct and immediate supervision of someone with a valid PAL, or
- If you are not a Canadian citizen and are a visiting hunter or are engaging in a recognized shooting sports competition.
- Visitors to Canada will complete a Non-Resident Firearms Declaration, which will be authorized by and Agent with the Canada Border Protection Agency. This authorization will act as a temporary firearms license while in Canada.
What happens if I fail the CFSC or CRFSC?
For anyone who fails either the written or the practical test, a retest is allowed, but the retest cannot be done the same day. A retest can only be administered a minimum of 1 day after the course. If more than 7 calendar days have passed, the student must re-take the entire course.
There is a fee for all retests.
Minor’s License
The Minor’s License is available to individuals who are older than 12-years of age, and not yet 18 years old. This license does not allow the individual to acquire firearms, but they can borrow and use a firearm. This distinction can be confusing to some folks, and I will attempt to clarify.
The Minor’s License allows an individual to legally borrow and use non-restricted firearms. This does not include acquiring or owning firearms, but rather, is specifically limited to possession and immediate use. This means your 15-year-old daughter can use your firearm unsupervised if she has a Minor’s License. She cannot own the firearm, but she can borrow it. This translates into allowing you and a licensed minor to, for instance, go hunting, and the minor will not have to be in the immediate presence of a licensed adult. Without the Minor’s license, the unlicensed minor will always have to be under the direct supervision and control of a licensed adult. A strict interpretation of this rule is that if the minor is hunting, the accompanying licensed adult should not have a firearm and should not be hunting – their full-time job is the supervision of the unauthorized minor with a firearm.
A Minor’s License allows the license holder to:
- Borrow and use non-restricted firearms for approved purposes. Approved purposes include firearms education, shooting competition, target practice, and hunting, and
- Purchase ammunition unless there is an age restriction under provincial or territorial law.
A Minor’s License does NOT allow the license holder to:
- Acquire or own a firearm, even as a gift or inheritance,
- Import firearms into Canada, and
- Possess restricted or prohibited firearms
How can someone obtain a Minor’s License?
To obtain a Minor’s License, an individual must be at least 12-years old, and they must successfully complete the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. They will require the specific informed consent of their parent to apply for the license, the fee for which depends on the duration of the license. The costs are:
- $10 for up to one year,
- $20 for one to two years, and
- $30 for more than two years.
Unlike the PAL, a Minor’s License cannot be renewed – instead, a new application must be submitted. The Minor’s License is only valid for individuals who are under the age of 18. If you are 16 years old when you apply, you can only hold a Minor’s License for two years. When the license holder turns 18 years of age, the Minor’s license expires.
How to upgrade from a Minor’s License to a PAL?
It is recommended that as a minor approaches their 18th birthday, they should submit their PAL application at least six months before their birthday. Since they already have the CFSC under their belt, all they need to apply for a PAL is their Minor’s License number.
There is no requirement for them to take the CFSC again.
A minor may not participate in the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC), as the course is available only to those individuals who have reached the age of 18 years.
Restricted Firearms
Since I last wrote on this topic, there have been a few changes to the firearms laws that all current and prospective firearms owners should be aware of. There is an expectation that all firearms owners will stay current on legislative and regulatory changes as they relate to firearms.
One of the biggest changes to our firearms laws was the suspension of the RCMP’s service of issuing Registration Certificates. A Registration Certificate is a legal document that was issued by the RCMP confirming a particular firearm was owned by a specific individual or business. Registration Certificates were issued for Restricted and Prohibited firearms only. When this service was terminated, the ability for owners of Restricted and Prohibited firearms to transfer, acquire, or sell these types of firearms was also terminated.
Why Should I bother to get my Restricted PAL?
To some people, this new development has been interpreted to mean there is no longer any reason to obtain a Restricted Possession and Acquisition License (R-PAL), but this characterization may not be entirely correct. There are still valid reasons to have the R-PAL credential:
- When shooting at an approved range, an individual who has the R-PAL designation is not required to have close supervision when shooting. For instance, if I take two people out to the range, and neither have their R-PAL:
- They are considered unauthorized to handle Restricted firearms
- I would not be able to allow both to shoot at the same time
- I would not be allowed to shoot while they are shooting.
- I would have to provide direct supervision and stay close to the individual shooting to ensure everything was done safely,
- An individual with a valid R-PAL can borrow Restricted firearms, and
- An individual with a valid R-PAL can obtain a Temporary Storage Permit.
Borrowing a Restricted Firearm
Authorization to Transport (ATT)
The ability of an individual to borrow a restricted firearm has not been curtailed. If you have an R-PAL, you can apply for an Authorization to Transport (ATT) to borrow a friend’s restricted firearm. Before getting the ATT, a few things need to be in place – you will require the Registration Certificate for each firearm you intend to borrow, and you will need to be a member of an approved restricted firearm range.
The ATT can now be applied for online through the RCMP individual web services page. https://www.services.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/
Temporary Storage Permit (TSP)
Another aspect of the Restricted firearm regime is the Temporary Storage Permit (TSP). A TSP is an authorization under the Firearms Act that enables someone with the proper license to borrow a Restricted firearm and to keep that firearm at their residence for a period of time. All the same transportation, handling, display, and storage requirements for restricted firearms remain the same.
An example of this would be your friend has been transferred with work to an overseas destination, and they are on a three-year deployment. If your friend agrees, and you have your R-PAL, application can be made to have the firearm temporarily transferred to your possession. Ownership of, or best title to, the firearm remains with the firearm’s owner, but you will be able to legally store the firearm at your residence while the TSP is in effect. With an ATT, you will be able to treat the firearm as your own, being able to take it to approved ranges for target shooting.
There is not a specific criterion that must be met to apply for a TSP. If it is convenient for a friend to borrow a restricted firearm for an extended period of time, the TSP can be applied for, and the firearm will ostensibly be the borrower’s to use while the TSP is active.
A Temporary Storage Permit can be applied for by calling the Canadian Firearms Program at 1-800-731-4000.
The next two topics, Renewing your PAL, and what happens if your PAL is expired, are closely related and overlapping topics.
PAL Renewal
If your PAL is still valid, or has expired in the last six months
If your firearms license is still valid, or has expired within the last six months, you can apply to renew online. (https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/individual-web-services) It is a much faster process and can be done in a few minutes if you have access to a computer. There have been significant delays in renewing licenses in the recent past, so the earlier you can get your renewal into the system, the higher the likelihood that you will receive your new PAL on time – before your current PAL expires. Applying to renew your PAL six months, or more, before your PAL expires is not unreasonable.
Do not leave your renewal application until the last moment!
If your PAL has been expired for more than six months
If it has been more than six months since your PAL expired, the online renewal option is no longer available. You will have to obtain the paper application form, RCMP GRC 5592, and apply the old-fashioned way. Allowing your PAL to expire not only means you will have to apply with a slower, more cumbersome method, but it also creates some potential legal issues as well – more on the problems of an expired PAL below.
The PAL application form, RCMP GRC 5592, can be downloaded from the RCMP National Firearms Program website (https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/dam-gan/hq-dg/pdf/firearms-armes-a-feu/forms-formulaires/5592e.pdf), and it can also be obtained from any CFSC instructor. The online form is a fillable PDF, meaning it can be completed on your computer and printed before signing and mailing.
PAL Expiration
For a while over the past few years, especially during the COVID pandemic, PAL renewals were taking an inordinately long time – some people waited for years. These backlogs have been largely eliminated, and most people are getting their initial PAL or their renewal in a matter of weeks. You can avoid disappointment if you start the renewal process at least a few months in advance.
What happens if my PAL expires?
It will depend on whether you have applied to renew your PAL before it expired, or within six months of its having expired. If you did apply for your renewal before your existing PAL expired, or within six months of its expiration, you will be granted a six-month extension period.
What is the six-month extension period?
Although you are technically without a PAL when your current PAL expires, if you apply to renew your PAL while it is still active, or within six months of its expiry date, there is a presumption at law that your PAL is going to be approved, and you will be allowed to continue with the lawful possession, but not the use, of your firearms and ammunition.
For greater clarity, the position of the Alberta CPFO is that you can still possess your firearms and ammunition, however, you may not acquire additional firearms, nor may you acquire ammunition without your new PAL. The CPFO also states that while you may possess your firearms and ammunition, you cannot use any firearm until your new PAL arrives.
If, on the other hand, you did not apply to renew your PAL before it expires, and more than six months have passed, your situation is markedly different.
What happens if my PAL has been expired for longer than six months?
An individual whose PAL has been expired for more than six months, and who is unable to prove that they have applied for a renewal within six months of the expiry of their most current PAL, may be in the unenviable position of being in possession of firearms and ammunition without a license – a criminal offence. Thankfully, the general attitude of the Canadian Firearms Program is geared more towards compliance than enforcement, meaning that when you apply for your PAL, you will be spoken to and strongly urged to remain in compliance. It is unlikely, but not impossible, that you could face criminal charges for this negligent oversight.
It is something that is best avoided. Please start your renewal process well in advance of the expiry date of your PAL, which is on your birthday every five years.
Upgrading your PAL
If you already have your PAL, and you have recently completed the CRFSC, you will need to upgrade your PAL to the R-PAL status, which requires an application on RCMP form 5592 – the PAL application form – and the submission of a fee of $41.62. Please note the cost to upgrade from a Non-Restricted PAL to a Restricted PAL is one-half of the fee for someone applying for their firearms license in the first instance, or someone renewing their PAL.
It can be a bit confusing, ….
I am hopeful this table will help clarify some of the various situations you might be confronted with.
| Situation | Process and required form | Fee (as of Dec 2023) |
| You have recently passed the CFSC and wish to apply for your non-Restricted Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) | Complete RCMP form 5592, and submit to through the mail to the RCMP. First time applicants can use the online application | $64.54 |
| You have recently passed the CFSC and wish to apply for your Minor’s Permit | Complete RCMP form 5485, and submit through the mail to the RCMP. The online application process is NOT available for a Minor’s Permit | $10/year |
| You have recently passed the CFSC and the CRFSC, wish to apply for your Restricted Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) | Complete RCMP form 5592, and submit to through the mail to the RCMP. First time applicants can use the online application | $86.06 |
| You already have your non-Restricted PAL, you have recently completed the CRFSC, and you wish to upgrade your non-Restricted PAL to a Restricted PAL | Complete RCMP form 5592, and submit to through the mail to the RCMP | $42.03 |
| You want to renew your non-Restricted PAL (still valid or has expired less than six months ago) | You can renew your license online through the Individual Web Services portal on the RCMP website, or you can complete RCMP Form 5614 and submit it through the mail to the RCMP | $62.42 |
| You want to renew your Restricted PAL (still valid or has expired less than six months ago) | You can renew your license online through the Individual Web Services portal on the RCMP website, or you can complete RCMP Form 5614 and submit it through the mail to the RCMP | $83.23 |
| Your Minor’s Permit is going to expire | Complete RCMP form 5485, and submit through the mail to the RCMP | $10/year |
| Your non-Restricted PAL has been expired for more than six months | Complete RCMP form 5592, and submit to through the mail to the RCMP | $62.42 |
| Your Restricted PAL has been expired for more than six months | Complete RCMP form 5592, and submit to through the mail to the RCMP | $83.23 |
Please note, these prices are accurate until March 30, 2024. On March 31, the prices may change. IF there are planned changes, this table will be updated, or you can check on the RCMP website at https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/changes-service-fees
It is important to include the correct fee with the application – if you use an older fee that is no longer accurate, it can cause further delays in getting your application processes.
For more information, please visit the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program website – https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms