Manufacturers and Importers Must Report Firearm Specs

Summary#

This is a proposed change from the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to amend the Firearms Licences Regulations. It would require firearm manufacturers and importers to send technical details about each batch or shipment to the Registrar of Firearms before manufacture or import. The proposal was published on December 28, 2024 and people can comment for 45 days after that date.

What it does#

• Requires businesses that are licensed to manufacture or import firearms to provide technical information to the Registrar of Firearms before each batch is made or shipment is imported. This applies to groups of firearms that share the same characteristics, not to individual serial numbers.
• The information required for each batch or shipment includes:
  • manufacturer, make and model, type and action;
  • shot capacity, gauge or calibre, barrel length and overall length;
  • stock type (for example fixed, folding, bullpup) and whether it can accept a detachable magazine;
  • a detailed description of where identifying markings (manufacturer, make, model, calibre and serial number) are located on the firearm;
  • and for certain semi-automatic centre-fire firearms originally designed with detachable magazines of six rounds or more, evidence of the date of design or manufacture (if the firearm was designed or made before December 15, 2023).
• Businesses must provide any additional technical information the Registrar requests about a batch or shipment.
• Businesses must keep records showing they provided this information for 20 years.
• Businesses would not have to wait for a response from the Registrar before proceeding with manufacture or import. The rule is a proposal and would come into force 30 days after it is registered if made final.
• The government estimates the total cost of this proposal at $9,208,644 over 10 years. Of that, government processing is estimated at $1,409,717, with business costs (data collection, record-keeping, and follow-up) making up the remainder (including an estimated $7,515,383 for gathering/submitting information, $1,717 for records storage, and $281,827 for extra information requests over 10 years).

Who's affected#

• Primarily businesses that hold a licence to manufacture or import firearms. The proposal targets the subset of licensed businesses with those specific endorsements.
• The Canada-wide number of impacted businesses is estimated at about 556, of which 545 are considered "small businesses" under the government’s small-business definition. The affected group is said to be less than 10% of all licensed firearms businesses.
• Most retailers, ranges, distributors and individual firearms owners (hunters, sport shooters) are not affected.
• Government offices involved in the process include the Registrar of Firearms, Chief Firearms Officers, the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program, Global Affairs Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency.

Why it matters#

• The change is meant to help the government and police identify new makes and models before they enter the Canadian market. That makes it easier to check whether a firearm should be classified as non-restricted, restricted or prohibited.
• Better information aims to reduce cases where restricted or prohibited firearms are mistakenly sold as non-restricted. That protects buyers from unintentionally owning firearms they legally cannot possess, and helps police and border officers do their jobs.
• The rule adds ongoing administrative work and modest costs for manufacturers and importers. The government estimates the total 10-year cost at $9,208,644, mostly borne by businesses.
• The proposal does not change how firearms are classified under the Firearms Act; it only adds an information-sharing and record-keeping requirement to improve classification and oversight.
• The document notes some uncertainty: the frequency of follow-up information requests is not known, and affected businesses were not widely consulted before publication. Public comments will be accepted during the 45-day consultation window following the December 28, 2024 publication.