Firearms marking start date delayed

Summary#

This final regulation, Regulations Amending the Firearms Marking Regulations: SOR/2025-227, changes the start date for the firearms-marking rules. It moves the start date from December 1, 2025 to December 1, 2027; the amendment was registered on November 6, 2025 and published in the Canada Gazette on November 19, 2025.

What it does#

• Changes the date when the Firearms Marking Regulations will take effect to December 1, 2027.
• The amendment itself took effect when it was registered. That means the rule changing the date is now in place.
• Confirms the underlying marking rules will apply only to firearms manufactured in or imported into Canada on or after December 1, 2027.
• Notes that, under the Regulations, importers would have up to 60 days after import (or until transfer, if sooner) to apply required import markings.
• The underlying Regulations require permanent markings (for example, serial number, maker and country) on firearms, but this amendment only delays the date those requirements begin.

Who's affected#

• Domestic firearms manufacturers.
• Firearms importers.
• Small businesses in the sector — there are about 4,000 firearms businesses in Canada, of which roughly 560 are licensed to import or manufacture.
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Public Safety Canada — they will update guidance and websites and notify stakeholders.
• Law enforcement more broadly, because the tracing benefits from markings will be delayed.

Why it matters#

• The delay gives manufacturers and importers two more years to buy equipment, change processes, or contract services needed to mark firearms as required by the Regulations (now effective December 1, 2027).
• It postpones both the costs to businesses of meeting the rules and the tracing benefits to police investigators that come from marked firearms.
• Repeated delays can affect Canada's international reputation because marking rules support international tracing commitments.
• After December 1, 2027, failing to meet the marking rules could breach licence conditions for importers and manufacturers and could risk licence revocation.