Protection Orders Trigger Firearms Licence Revocations

Summary#

The Canada Gazette published proposed Regulations Amending the Firearms Licences Regulations on March 8, 2025. The rules would define which civil protection orders must be reported to firearms authorities, require licence refusals or revocations when those orders are in place, and set rules for limited “conditional” licences for people who need firearms to hunt or trap for sustenance. This is a proposal — not final law — and there is a 30‑day public comment period.

What it does#

• Defines what counts as a “protection order” for the purposes of the Firearms Act and the licensing rules. That includes civil or family court orders (including short emergency orders) that restrict contact, proximity, occupation of a home, harassing or threatening conduct, or domestic/family violence.
• Defines “other competent authority” to include officials such as justices of the peace and councils, governments or entities acting for Indigenous groups with rights under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
• Requires courts and those competent authorities to report protection orders to the licensing system (the proposal expects reporting within 24 hours). When reported, a Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) would be required to refuse or revoke a firearms licence under the Firearms Act.
• Sets out how a CFO can consider issuing a time‑limited, conditional licence for sustenance hunting or trapping:
  • Conditional licences would be limited to non‑restricted firearms (typical rifles and shotguns used for hunting).
  • Applicants must provide a signed statement explaining why they need a firearm to hunt or trap to sustain themselves or their family.
  • CFOs must consider factors such as whether hunting/trapping is the primary (but not sole) source of food/income, how often the person hunts, the applicant’s criminal record, and the nature of the reason their licence was refused or revoked.
  • CFOs can add other conditions (for example, storage rules) and must notify current or recent conjugal partners when a conditional licence is considered.
• Adds the written‑statement requirement to new, renewal and related licence forms where a conditional licence is sought.

Who's affected#

• People who hold or apply for firearms licences. If they become subject to a protection order they could lose licence privileges and be required to surrender firearms.
• Chief Firearms Officers (CFOs) and the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program, who would receive order notifications and carry out refusals/revocations.
• Courts and other decision‑makers who issue protection orders. They would have to report orders that meet the new definition.
• People who hunt or trap to feed themselves or their families, including some Indigenous people in remote or northern communities, because the rules create a narrow route (conditional licence) to maintain access in those cases.
• Victims and survivors of intimate partner and family violence, particularly women and people in rural and northern areas, who the government says are expected to gain the most safety benefits.
• The federal government and provincial/territorial court systems, which would incur administrative and IT costs to implement reporting and processing.

Why it matters#

• It would make many civil protection orders trigger a mandatory firearms licence refusal or revocation. That means people subject to those orders would generally lose legal access to firearms while the order lasts and may have to surrender guns quickly.
• The government expects this to reduce firearm‑related injuries and deaths in intimate partner and family violence. The regulatory analysis estimates total benefits of $254,321,196, total costs of $20,169,082, and a net benefit of $234,152,114 (about $33,456,703 per year). Those are the proposal’s estimates, not guaranteed outcomes.
• The rules try to balance safety with food security in remote and Indigenous communities by allowing narrow, conditional licences for non‑restricted firearms used for sustenance hunting or trapping.
• Implementation will create new administrative work: the proposal estimates processing about 15,198 protection orders per year and roughly 579 licence revocations annually. It would also require IT changes and new staff for processing.
• Timing: the proposed Regulations are to come into force when the related parts of the legislative changes from Bill C‑21 come into force, targeted for Fall 2025. Public feedback during the 30‑day comment window can still influence the final rules.