r/canadaguns • u/GeneralMastodon9994 • Mar 11 '26

Application / Regulation advice Cons to having a PAL in Canada?

Hey everyone, I am considering getting the PAL license (restricted and non-restricted), and I wanted to ask if there are any cons to being a PAL holder in Canada?

Is it true that the government can pose you as a suspect if anything happens in the area where you live (firearm related) or just in general is it true that the government keeps an eye on you as a PAL holder?

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u/Barbarian_818 Mar 11 '26

Cons? Here are a few:

1) your name will be run against a crime database every day. If you're ever convicted of a crime, even a nonviolent, non firearms related crime, you can have your license revoked. It's unlikely, but possible to have a false positive match and then have to go through some bureaucratic bullshit to prove that while you're John Doe, you are not the John Doe convicted of fucking around and finding out.

2) the RCMP has proven that it can change its mind about a firearm and make it illegal retroactively. It seems the Mounties do this to satisfy the gun banners agenda. So the Firearms Program IS biased, and not in your favor.

3) similarly, the politicians have discovered a new way to take a short cut around the legislative process and ban guns by fiat through an Order In Council. And the Liberals are just going buck wild banning everything in sight. There's a good chance that, no matter what you buy, the Liberals will decide to fuck you over next time they have a big scandal they want to push out of the headlines.

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u/Barbarian_818 Mar 11 '26

Thought of a few more;

1) technically, you lose the legal protection about due process before being subject to search and seizure. Technically, if you have a PAL, the authorities can come at any time to inspect your storage methods. I have never heard of a case where they just showed up unannounced. But it is technically possible.

2) it is RCMP officers who do these inspections, so if there is any other evidence of crime or evidence of suspicious activity, they can arrest you based on what they saw in passing.

3) housing can be a PITA. Some landlords try to forbid gun owners from keeping their firearms in the unit. Legally they don't have a leg to stand on. But who wants that hassle. Also, should you decide to get an RV and pursue the nomadic life with just a mail drop somewhere, registration becomes a hassle as well.

4) "why do you want a gun" for?" That's something you'll have to get used to hearing. There is a lot of simple prejudice about firearms ownership in Canada. Especially in liberal and urban populations. Legal gun culture flies under the radar a LOT in this country. Yet reports of armed crime happen every week it seems. (RCMP proudly showing off seized "fully semi automatic submachine gun" .22 plinkers or paintball guns doesn't help) The result is the automatic assumption that if you want to have guns, it's likely for some nefarious reasons. People will tend to assume you're some far right "ammosexual" who must be watched.