The Canadian Shooting Sports Association has released the following message in their most recent emails.

RCMP GOES OVER THE TOP?:  Many of our members have complained about the RCMP attempting to gather information they no longer have the legislative authority to possess.  When a seller of a firearm calls to verify a buyer’s PAL number, a simple system that was supposed to assist firearms sellers in knowing the individual they were selling to was indeed licensed, the RCMP have been asking for very detailed information regarding the SELLER of the firearm.  Whoa!  This is an intolerable abuse of their authority as C-19 removed their ability to demand that information.  The solution is simple.  Don’t use the license verification system until it is fixed.  The law does not REQUIRE you to verify a PAL, or is there a penalty for not verifying it.  If the buyer has a PAL with their picture on it and it’s not expired, you’re covered; you’re good to go. That counts as having “no reason to believe that the transferee is not authorized to acquire and possess that kind of firearm.”  We fought for 17 years to win this freedom, PLEASE use it.  The simple and easy verification of PALs was supposed to be a benefit and convenience for the firearms community, not be perverted into an information phishing scam.  Once again the RCMP steps all over Canadians under the guise of offering a public service.  The CSSA recommends Canadian gun-owners stop calling the CFP to verify PALs — boycott the system until they correct it.

 

23. A person may transfer a firearm that is neither a prohibited firearm nor a restricted firearm:

 

(a) the transferee holds a licence authorizing the transferee to acquire and possess that kind of firearm; and if, at the time of the transfer,

 

(b) the transferor has no reason to believe that the transferee is not authorized to acquire and possess that kind of firearm.