Amnesty for Certain Prohibited Firearms

Summary#

The Order Declaring an Amnesty Period (2025) creates a short, temporary amnesty that lets some people keep, move, repair, deactivate, destroy or otherwise dispose of certain now-prohibited guns without being criminally charged. It came into force on the day it was made (March 7, 2025) and runs until March 1, 2026. The order is issued under the Criminal Code.

What it does#

• Defines “specified firearm” as the prohibited firearms listed in items 201 to 240 of the schedule to the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited or Restricted.
• Declares an amnesty period (from when the order was made until March 1, 2026) that covers several narrow situations for people who hold a licence under the Firearms Act, including:
  • people who already own or possess a specified firearm and keep a valid licence while they deal with it;
  • people who had, before the order came into force, an agreed transfer of a specified firearm and who get any required registration during the amnesty;
  • people who store or temporarily hold a specified firearm on behalf of a licensed owner when that storage is a licence condition;
  • businesses or workers temporarily handling a specified firearm for repairs, deactivation or destruction under contracts with the government or licensed owners;
  • authorized organizations, carriers, contractors and their workers who transport specified firearms to be destroyed.
• Lists the specific things covered by the amnesty. During the period a covered person may, among other things:
  • deactivate the firearm so it is no longer a firearm;
  • deliver it to a police officer for destruction or other disposal;
  • return it to the owner or manufacturer, or export it if legal to do so;
  • transport it by vehicle on a reasonably direct route under strict safety and storage conditions (for example: unloaded, no ammunition in the vehicle, and not visible from outside);
  • in limited cases where the firearm was non-restricted immediately before the change, continue to use it for hunting or family sustenance until a replacement is obtained — subject to storage and transport rules.
• Specifies storage and transport rules that must be followed during the amnesty, and notes eligible businesses must follow the businesses’ storage regulations.

Who's affected#

• Licensed firearm owners who, when the order came into force, possess firearms that are now listed as prohibited under items 201 to 240 of the regulations.
• People who had an agreed transfer of such firearms before the order came into force and who complete required registration during the amnesty.
• Businesses and workers that store, repair, deactivate or transport these specified firearms under licence or government contract.
• Carriers, law enforcement and organizations that handle firearms for destruction or shipment.
• If it is unclear whether a particular firearm or situation qualifies under the order, the text of the order and the relevant firearms regulations must be checked.

Why it matters#

• The order gives a fixed, legal window for licensed owners and certain businesses to deal with newly prohibited firearms without immediate criminal risk.
• That window lets owners deactivate, legally transfer, export, destroy, or — in narrowly defined cases — temporarily use a firearm for hunting or sustenance while they arrange alternatives.
• The amnesty imposes safety and storage rules during transport and possession, so it affects how those actions must be carried out day to day.
• After March 1, 2026, people who still possess these specified firearms without meeting the order’s conditions could face criminal charges.