Arms licence and hunting in Canada

[prashantsingh]

Hi friends
Someone recently mentioned that almost 800 arms licences have been cancelled in Punjab
It came as a big shock to me . Really sad news
Specially because a person spends so much effort to get an arms licence in India
When the Arms Amendment Act was passed in the parliament I was in a dilemma.
Not being a competitive shooter I would either have to sell my third weapon ( a .32 bore pistol) or gift it to my wife
Parting with my 375 mag rifle and 12 bore dbbl shot gun was impossible since I needed them for hunting (human wildlife conflict )
The pistol belonged to my paternal grandfather who had gifted it to my mother from who I had inherited the weapon on her passing away in the year 2000.

[prashantsingh]

The Arms Act (Amendment ) was passed in 2019 My wife immediately applied for an arms licence
I had read news paper reports that ladies can easily get an arms licence
All formalities were done and police verification completed
She would be inheriting the weapon which was in the family for 3 generations . So i did not think it would be much of a problem
But i was mistaken and in for a big surprise
The whole process was disappointing and painful
Inspite of all verifications , affidavits and paperwork it took me two years to get the arms licence made .
In the mean time the weapon was kept with an arms dealer in safe custody for which I had to pay a decent amount

[prashantsingh]

In contrast to my experience back home I will now share what i went through in obtaining a PAL in Canada
Possession and Acquisition Licence
Any person on Work Permit , Permanent Resident and Citizen can own a fire arms in Canada
Since I have recently come on a short work permit couple of months ago and have all intentions to enjoy the outdoors in British Columbia . I decided to apply for an arms licence not only to pick up a couple of decent hunting rifles but also to check how the system works here

[timmy]

Prashant, the description of your trials is beyond words -- at least, ones that I can utter here. About all I can come up with that is moderate is "shame." This is not even barely adequate for such a process.

Please keep us posted. Canada is limited on handguns and I'm thinking semi-auto rifles might also be taboo now. Alberta is funding a lot of Cnada's budget now, which seems to include Ontario's dodgy deal to keep Quebec in the Federation. How long this will last, who knows? Apparently, there's nothing constitutionally that says Alberta can't go its own way, but I'm no legal scholar. I say this only to note that things that once seemed so sure are not standing on the firm foundations we once took for granted.

I hope all is well with you, Sir! I also hope this sad situation finally resolves itself favorably for you.

[prashantsingh]

Indeed Timmy
My wife could finally get the licence and i was able to transfer the pistol (a .32 Browning 1890 model) on to her name . Now that we are here . The weapon is back with the arms dealer in 'safe custody ' .
The PAL here was a contrast to what I had experienced back home
It's a very simple procedure .
One has to enrol for a two day PAL course which costs around CAD $ 250
It's a very basic course which introduces a person to fire arms and gun safety
One has to clear two written tests and two practical assessment which are reasonably easy if you are aware of the basics .
An instructor conducts the course .The instructor is usually a person with decades of shooting experience
It was a pleasure to attend the course and brush up the basics of gun history, types of guns and gun safety .
One has to go through a very interesting book before attending the classes
Finally . On both days the tests were conducted .
In the written test I scored a 100% and a 98%
And obtained a 90% in the practicals.
Everyone who enrolled for the course cleared it and were given two certificates with the marks
A little more paperwork to be filled and posted to Royal Canadian Mounted Police along with a nominal fee of around 85 dollars and within a couple of months the arms licence is ready .
I shall keep updating this post on and off as I progress . My ultimate aim (starting from shooting ducks and deer) is to shoot a nice trophy black bear while I am here

[prashantsingh]

I am not much into hand guns .
My interest is only in rifles and a couple of guns . I am new to this place and am not aware of all the rules and regulations . Shall keep updating on this thread as and when I come to know about them . As I understand there is no restriction on the number of the regular hunting rifles and guns that I can keep as long as I am here
A simple and effective procedure . The instructor informed us that in the past 20 years there has never been a shootout or murder by a person owning a legal fire arm in Canada