Yesterday afternoon April 5th, 2012 the Governor General gave Royal Assent to bill C-19 a bill to end the long-gun registry. The Canadian Firearms Program released this special bulletin. We applaud the government from recognizing and respecting the rights of law abiding Canadians and look forward to further improvements to Canadian firearms legislation.

Changes to the Canadian Firearms Program

On April 5, 2012, Bill C-19, Ending the Long-Gun RegistryAct, came into effect. The key changes are as follows:

• Removal of the requirement to register non-restricted firearms
• Destruction of the existing non-restricted firearms registration records
• Allowing the transferor of a non-restricted firearm to obtain confirmation of a transferee’s firearms acquisition licence prior to the transfer being finalized

Until further notice, due to a Court Order issued by the Quebec Superior Court, residents of Quebec are still required to register non-restricted firearms with the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program.

It is important to note that the new law does not change the requirement for all individuals to hold a licence in order to possess a firearm. The licensing, safety training and safe storage requirements for anyone who uses or owns a firearm continue to be in force.

The legislation also does not impact registration requirements for restricted or prohibited firearms.