Special Bulletin for Businesses – No. 55

Beretta CX4 Storm Magazine

Snapshot

• Some Beretta CX4 Storm rifles are being manufactured with prohibited magazines.
• The classification of a firearm magazine depends on the type of firearm the magazine was designed to be used in, not the type of firearm it is actually used in.
• The new 10-cartridge magazine designed for the Beretta CX4 Storm rifle is prohibited unless it has been permanently altered so that it cannot hold more than five cartridges .
• The 10-cartridge pistol magazine used on many Beretta CX4 Storm rifles is still legal, regardless of the type of firearm it is attached to.

We have recently learned that some Beretta CX4 Storm rifles are being manufactured with magazines that are prohibited in Canada.

As set out in Criminal Code Regulations, the classification of a magazine depends on the type of firearm a magazine was designed to be used in, not the type of firearm it is actually used in.

When the Beretta CX4 Storm rifle was first produced, it used a 10-cartridge magazine that was designed for a handgun. Most magazines designed for a handgun may legally hold up to 10 cartridges, even when used in a rifle.

Beretta is now producing a 10-cartridge magazine designed specifically for the CX4 Storm rifle. The law sets a maximum capacity of five cartridges for magazines designed for a semi-automatic, centre-fire long gun such as the Beretta CX4 Storm rifle. A 10-cartridge magazine with a CX4 Storm stamp on it is prohibited unless it has been permanently altered so that it cannot hold more than five cartridges.

If your business has any CX4 Storm rifles in its inventory, please check the magazine to see which version you have. A CX4 Storm stamp on the magazine indicates it is a prohibited device. Please note that the presence of a prohibited magazine does not affect the classification of the firearm itself. The Beretta CX4 Storm rifle remains classified as a restricted firearm.

However, the business cannot sell a Beretta CX4 Storm rifle at retail with a prohibited magazine in it, unless the magazine has been permanently altered to hold a maximum of five cartridges. Your business may possess a prohibited magazine only if it is licensed to possess prohibited devices for an approved purpose indicated on the licence.

If your business does not have the required licence privileges, you must either dispose of any prohibited magazines in the business inventory or permanently alter the magazines to hold a maximum of five cartridges. If you choose to dispose of a prohibited magazine, you may be able to replace it with one that is not prohibited – for example, a handgun magazine used on earlier versions of the rifle.

Criminal Code Regulations set out the following options for altering a prohibited magazine to make it legal:

1. The casing can be indented by forging, casting, swaging or impressing; or
2. If the cartridge has a steel or aluminum casing, a plug, sleeve, rod, pin, flange or similar device, made of the same (or similar) material as the casing, can be inserted and permanently attached to the inner surface of the casing by welding, brazing or any other similar method; or
3. If the cartridge is made of a material other than steel or aluminum, in addition to the options mentioned above, a permanent adhesive substance such as cement or epoxy glue can also be used to attach an insert. In this case, the insert would have to be made of steel or a material similar to that of the magazine casing.

Options for disposing of a prohibited magazine include transferring it to a properly licensed business (perhaps in exchange for one that is legal), exporting it to a country that allows it, or turning it in to a police or firearms officer.

An export permit may be required from International Trade Canada if the magazine is being exported to a country other than the United States. More information and application forms for an export permit are available from the Export Controls Division of International Trade Canada at 1 800 267-8376 or (613) 996-2387 or from their Website.

If your business has ordered but not yet received an affected rifle, please note that we have notified Canada Border Services Agency that these rifles cannot lawfully be imported if they have a magazine with the CX4 Storm stamp on it, unless the magazine has been altered so that it cannot hold more than five cartridges.

We have also notified the manufacturer and distributors that the 10-cartridge rifle magazine is prohibited but that the 10-cartridge handgun magazine is not prohibited.

More Information

For general information, contact us at:

1 800 731-4000 (Toll Free)
E-mail: cfc-cafc@cfc-cafc.gc.ca

This bulletin is intended to provide general information only. For legal references, please refer to the regulations pertaining to prohibited magazines.

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