Special Bulletin for Shooting Clubs and Ranges – No 11

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 earlier versions of the Beretta CX4 Storm rifles is still legal.

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.

Some of your members may already have acquired a rifle with the Beretta CX4 Storm magazine, not realizing that it is prohibited. We wish to assure those members that a prohibited magazine does not affect the classification of the firearm itself. The Beretta CX4 Storm rifle remains classified as a restricted firearm.

However, individuals who possess a rifle with a prohibited magazine must either dispose of the magazine or permanently alter it to hold a maximum of five cartridges. Otherwise, they risk penalties for illegal possession of a prohibited device if a law enforcement officer were to find the magazine in their possession. If they choose to dispose of a prohibited magazine, they 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 may be 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.

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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