Mailing allowed for certain prohibited firearms and devices

Summary#

The final regulation Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations (SOR/2024-208) lets some licensed businesses send certain firearms and devices through the mail to designated recipients for destruction. It is meant to help businesses participate in the government’s buyback effort for firearms reclassified as prohibited in 2020.

What it does#

• Allows businesses covered by the 2020 amnesty to ship certain prohibited firearms and prohibited devices by post to recipients in Canada, but only for the purpose of destruction and only if several conditions are met.
• Requires businesses to have an agreement with the government about destruction before mailing the items.
• Requires the shipment to use the most secure postal service offered (including a signature on delivery).
• Sets packaging and safety rules:
  • firearms must be unloaded, rendered inoperable with a secure locking device, and packed in an opaque, strong container that won’t be easily opened and that has no exterior markings indicating it contains a weapon or ammunition;
  • neither firearms nor devices may be packaged with ammunition;
  • specified devices must also be packaged so they do not show their contents.
• Temporarily exempts the storage and transportation rules in the Storage, Display and Transportation of Firearms and Other Weapons by Businesses Regulations for the time the item is in Canada Post’s custody (from posting to delivery or return).
• Does not allow items listed on the Controlled Goods List to be mailed by Canada Post; those remain subject to other rules.
• Comes into force on the day it is registered.

Who's affected#

• Licensed businesses that legally held the newly prohibited items when the 2020 changes took effect and that remain licensed during the amnesty period. The government estimates about 2,400 licensed businesses in total, with around 370 known to hold previously restricted assault-style firearms.
• The specific firearms held by businesses are estimated at 9,074 (about 7,296 previously restricted and 1,778 previously non-restricted, per government data).
• The measure is meant for participants in Phase 1 of the Firearms Buyback Program (businesses). Individuals (Phase 2) are not the focus of this change.
• Canada Post and licensed commercial carriers may see changes in demand, since businesses can now choose postal shipping as an option.
• It is unclear from the regulation how many prohibited devices (as opposed to firearms) are held by businesses.

Why it matters#

• It removes a legal barrier that previously made these prohibited items “non-mailable,” so businesses have a simpler, more accessible way to send them for government-arranged destruction.
• That can make it easier for businesses—especially those in rural or remote areas who may have limited access to licensed carriers—to take part in the Firearms Buyback Program and get compensation if they choose.
• The change is aimed at public safety by speeding up the secure removal and destruction of firearms and devices that the government has reclassified as prohibited.
• The amnesty period for these measures runs under the existing order and is scheduled to end on October 30, 2025; shipping outside the regulation’s conditions remains illegal and can lead to criminal penalties.