Special Bulletin for Police No. 65

Deferral of Regulations

Snapshot

• Implementation of the Public Agents Firearms Regulations, the Firearms Marking Regulations and the Guns Show Regulations has been deferred.
• Deferring implementation gives those affected by the regulations more time to prepare for new requirements.

Public Agents Firearms Regulations

Implementation of sections 8 to 10.2 and 12 to 16 of the Public Agents Firearms Regulations has been deferred until October 31, 2006. These sections deal with requirements for agencies to report all agency and protected firearms to the Registrar. The regulations were significantly changed in November 2004. Delaying implementation until October 31, 2006 gives everyone affected by the regulations more time to become familiar with the changes and put the necessary processes in place to comply.

Please make sure that information about the deferral gets passed on to the person in your agency who is responsible for managing the agency's firearm inventory if it is someone other than yourself.

All other sections of the Public Agents Firearms Regulations came into effect on December 1, 1998.

Gun Shows Regulations

The Gun Show Regulations apply to any event where firearms are being displayed, including, for example, police conferences where potential suppliers may have exhibits.

Implementation of the Gun Shows Regulations has been delayed until November 30, 2006. Like the Public Agents Firearms Regulations these regulations were significantly amended in November 2004. Delaying implementation until November 30, 2006 will provide more time for everyone affected by the regulations to become familiar with the changes and for simple and effective processes to be put in place to assess and approve applications to sponsor a gun show.

Although the Gun Shows Regulations are not yet in force, there are other legal requirements that gun show participants must comply with to protect public safety. For example:

• All firearms at the gun show must be stored and displayed safely to deter loss, theft and accidents;
• The firearms may only be handled by, or under the direct and immediate supervision of, someone licensed to possess them, or by a public agent in the course of his or her employment duties; and
• Any firearms sold at a gun show must go through the proper transfer process. For example, if a firearm is sold to a public agency, the agency must have an Agency Identification Number and the sale must be reported to the Registrar.

Firearms Marking Regulations

Implementation of the Firearms Marking Regulations has been deferred to December 1, 2007. These are new regulations, created in November 2004, to enable Canada to meet its international obligations to combat smuggling and trafficking of firearms.

The regulations include specific marking requirements for firearms manufactured in Canada or imported to Canada after the coming-into-force date. The requirements do not apply to protected firearms (for example, seized firearms or firearms being imported as evidence in a case), or to firearms that a public agency initially exported but retained as agency firearms while the firearms were outside Canada.

Other exempted firearms include:

• "Specially imported firearms" being imported temporarily by a properly licensed business as a good under tariff item No. 9993.00.00 of the List of Tariff Provisions set out in the schedule to the Customs Tariff;
• Firearms being imported temporarily by a non-resident; and
• Registered firearms that are being re-imported after having been temporarily taken out of Canada.

If your agency buys firearms from a Canadian supplier or distributor, there is a good chance that the markings will already be on the firearms by the time you get them. However, if you import firearms directly from an outside source, or if your newly imported firearms have not been marked by the time you receive them, your agency will have to arrange to have the firearms marked within 60 days of importation.

Deferring the regulations until December 1, 2007 will give public agencies and others affected by the regulations more time to make the necessary arrangements for marking their firearms.

Information for the Police

To ensure that you are on our distribution list, or that your contact information is current, you may contact us through any of the means indicated below.

Any police officer can use the CAFC Police-Only Information and Referral Line at 1 800 731-4000, ext. 2064 (E) or 2063 (F) (toll-free) to obtain information or to obtain publications that are available.

Police Web site Portal
Police e-mail: police-info@cfc-cafc.gc.ca

Information for the Public

Members of the public must not be referred to the Police-Only Line but can be referred to the public lines at 1 800 731-4000 (toll-free)

Public e-mail: cfc-cafc@cfc-cafc.gc.ca

This bulletin is intended to provide general information only. For legal references, please refer to the Firearms Act and Regulations. Provincial, territorial and municipal laws, regulations and policies may also apply.

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