r/canadaguns • u/Neat_Structure1065 • Apr 13 '26
Application / Regulation advice Will the handgun freeze ever go away?
I mean, we need pistols for hunting and self-defence if a bear is running at you and is near.
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u/Debilitationate Apr 13 '26
It's no longer a just a "freeze," Bill C-21 received royal assent a while back, meaning it's been codified into actual law. The only way to go legalize pistol sales again is to amend the criminal code. As others have mentioned, the best chance of this happening is with a majority conservative government, but that could be years away with the topic fading into obscurity.
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u/pm_me_your_puppeh Apr 13 '26
In all likelihood that's would be no sooner than a decade away. The conservives (and the NDP) are in disarray and that's unlikely to change in the next five years, and Canadians tend to keep a PM for around ten regardless.
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u/1baby2cats Apr 14 '26
I'm glad I bought a cz shadow 2 before the ban. I regret I did not but a fn five-seven.
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u/vanillaxmitch Jun 09 '26
I regret I didn't buy the Beretta 92fs Italian police surplus from Marstar
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u/Flat-Dark-Earth Big Bore Specialist Apr 13 '26
Not without a Conservative majority.
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u/Glittering_Eye_6342 Apr 13 '26
So even before the liberal ban on handguns, they were restricted weapons so unfortunately we aren’t even allowed to carry them for any kind of self defence purposes even while hunting in the woods. Hopefully they change this dumb rule as it’s not legal purchased firearms that have any bearing on criminal activity.
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u/Xaxxus Apr 13 '26
You can if you work in the wilderness. You can apply for an ATC.
Obviously this doesn’t apply to someone living in Toronto and going hunting for the weekend.
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u/Glittering_Eye_6342 Apr 13 '26
I’ve heard of something like this before but I also heard it’s not an easy permit to obtain
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u/MrWrock Apr 14 '26
Someone (probably the only person in Canada to do it this year) posted recently about having achieved it themselves, so if you can truly justify the need it is possible. If you just need the comfort of a firearm for bear defense, then you can carry a shotgun, and it most likely is going to be more effective than a handgun.
I would love to own a handgun for the fun of shooting it and the marvel of its mechanical complexity. I think gas blowback pellet pistols might scratch that itch, but I have plenty other things to burn money on (like more ammo for the things I CAN shoot)
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u/Aspenkarius Apr 13 '26
Cons only change gun laws on election years if they think they might lose. They don’t actually care about gun owners beyond being an easy to manipulate source of voters.
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u/Unfair-Company7135 Apr 13 '26
It's funny how many people think they would do anything. The Conservatives, like any other party, pander to a base. The problem being that there will be bigger problems at hand that will need to be dealt with (housing, drugs, crime, medical). Eventually it will remain a carrot on a stick to try and keep that base voting for them in the next election. Promises to change classification systems, undo OIC bans, etc are nothing but political brownie points, especially in the world we have today where things are looking grim globally.
Too many people put faith in a party to undo these things purely because they are the opposite of the other party that did them. I feel safe in saying if we had a conservative majority, we most likely wouldn't see much change beyond the idea of grandfathering/giving amnesty to those that didn't participate in the buy back.
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u/Lumindan Apr 13 '26
It's funny how many people think they would do anything. The Conservatives, like any other party, pander to a base. The problem being that there will be bigger problems at hand that will need to be dealt with (housing, drugs, crime, medical). Eventually it will remain a carrot on a stick to try and keep that base voting for them in the next election. Promises to change classification systems, undo OIC bans, etc are nothing but political brownie points, especially in the world we have today where things are looking grim globally.
The conservatives lose nothing by following through on their campaign promises.
They lose everything by rug pulling them.
It's funny how many people actively try to downplay this.
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u/Aggravating_Button99 Apr 13 '26
Not following through on promises is why O'Toole lost.
During leadership convention he promised things that during the election campaign he said he wouldnt do.
The base stayed home. refused to
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u/Lumindan Apr 13 '26
and the funniest part is now the Liberals all go "well we need someone more moderate like O'toole" despite calling him trump north when he was in the spotlight.
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u/Unfair-Company7135 Apr 13 '26
They stand to gain a small percentage of single issue voters that usually support other parties but most certainly wouldn't lose everything by stalling or not acknowledging those promises. It's really funny how people seem to forget politicians, are still politicians, no matter what party they rep.
You going to vote liberal, NDP, or green out of spite of they didn't make good on it?
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u/Lumindan Apr 13 '26
This take kind of downplays how big this issue actually is in Canada right now. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of people affected (probably more but I'm going with the smaller figure).
The firearm buyback tied to the May 2020 OIC firearms prohibition Canada didn’t just create a handful of “single-issue voters.” It pulled in a much wider group like hunters, rural communities, Indigenous groups, sport shooters, and even people who don’t own guns but see the cost and rollout as a mess. In a lot of ridings, that’s not fringe at all, that’s a meaningful chunk of the electorate. Like you can downplay it as "single issue" but it doesn't look like it once you look at the metrics.
For the Conservative Party of Canada, this isn’t some low-stakes promise they can quietly ignore. If they campaign on scrapping the buyback and then stall, that’s not just losing a few voters it hits credibility across the board. People remember when parties don’t follow through, even if it’s not their #1 issue. Plus you know damn well the Liberals would capitalize on it.
Also, this isn’t a symbolic policy. We’re talking billions in projected costs, delays, and ongoing implementation problems. Supporting or opposing it ties directly into fiscal policy and public safety not exactly something you can just shrug off politically. Wasting 2 billion in tax dollars is no laughing matter and for a party that's pushing the whole "look how fiscally pragmatic we are!" , its nothing but ammo for the conservatives to use (or get burned at the stake on if the skimp it).
Coping it as politicians are all slimy is just trying to skip over the core point and frankly it's just another "you can't trust the conservatives!!".
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u/boozefiend3000 Apr 13 '26
Not at this rate. Liberals have their majority tonight. I suspect they’ll win the next election in 3 years too, because the average person in this country is absolutely dumb as fuck
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u/Reasonable_Hall2346 Apr 13 '26
Fuck, a liberal rule for nearly 20 years if they win the next election too…
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u/Spider-King-270 Apr 13 '26
Considering the liberals about to have a majority tonight most likely not
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Apr 13 '26
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u/TopLemon3678 Apr 13 '26
Maybe, but it's not like they're very trustworthy either. I can easily see them changing their tune just to get votes.
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Apr 13 '26
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u/TopLemon3678 Apr 13 '26
I think everyone should take a safety course. It really explains what's supposed to happen and would probably help a lot of the fearful. Guns are scary, but if you're doing what the course says is mandatory it's not so bad.
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u/FRANK_R-I-Z-Z-O Apr 13 '26
Pretty much the only chance that would ever have of happening is with a majority conservative Federal government.
Numbers and statistics then become the next problem. The number of Voters in Canada who are restricted possession and acquisition license holders is not significant enough for any major political party to risk pissing off non RPAL holding voters by making a reversal of the handgun band a major campaign point.
I don't know if statistics exist for this, but it would be interesting to see the number of registered voters that hold an rpal, but it would be even more interesting to know the number of which turned out and actually voted. Because I would be willing to bet you even though they are not published the government probably has either statistics on this or a method to calculate this enough that they know that that percentage of their voter base is not enough to risk pissing anybody else off and potentially swaying their (non RPAL holders) vote to a party with an opposing view regarding the ban.
I am just one guy holding a firearms license, but I can assure you with absolute certainty that my firearms that I own have never been used in an unlawful manner, or used to commit a crime. But somehow we are the problem.
Meanwhile with a handful of phone calls I'm sure anybody you ask could probably get themselves an unlicensed firearm in this country. I have often said no matter what the government makes illegal or unlawful, I don't give a shit who you're talking about, nobody is more than a handful of phone calls away from getting whatever they are looking for. Everybody knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy and however far down that list or chain you have to go. It just at some point becomes what risk the person who's looking for it is willing to take and what they are willing to spend.
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u/chickenmcbro Apr 13 '26
The country has been turned over to the most inept and malicious government in our history. However the majority of the population cheers them on. I certainly wouldn't bet on ever regaining lost freedoms.
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u/AndreiHoo Apr 13 '26
Nope, more likely there will be new law to make pistols illegal like the oic firearms.
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u/TheRealTwooni Apr 13 '26
You should probably buy an air pistol before those are banned. I don’t think we’re ever getting pistols back.
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u/eekay233 Apr 13 '26
Chances aren't zero, but I also don't expect it to be within my functional life time.
I anticipate an attempt at a buyback for handguns at some point , once they've had the "huge success" of the ASFCP as a proof of concept.
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u/mississauga145 Apr 13 '26
No, rights will never be given back once they have been removed, while the Conservatives are opposing the OIC gun restriction and grab, when they are returned to power they will not re-permit those weapons, they just won't add more to the list to remove.
Unfortunately that type of change can only come from public will to force change, and with the Urban/Rural divide in Canada there will be no push to allow more weapons in the hands of citizens, but you may soon have legal prostitution so there is that to look forward to.
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u/Lumindan Apr 13 '26
No, rights will never be given back once they have been removed, while the Conservatives are opposing the OIC gun restriction and grab, when they are returned to power they will not re-permit those weapons, they just won't add more to the list to remove.
Telling me you haven't engaged with the conservatives platform at all. They've had undoing the OICs and implementing simplified classification for a while now. They lose nothing by following through with their promises and lose everything by rug pulling.
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u/mississauga145 Apr 13 '26
No, before the guns are removed I'd agree with you, after they have been removed they will not give them back.
They had opportunities to change the laws around restricted and prohibited firearms, did they make that change in the 2010's? No, why?
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u/Lumindan Apr 13 '26
They didn’t change it in the 2010s because the political landscape back then wasn’t even close to what it is now. Trying to apply todays problems to a decade ago isn't really fair.
Under Stephen Harper, the focus was on rolling back things that had broad public support to repeal like ending the long-gun registry not diving headfirst into prohibited firearms, which would’ve been a political minefield at the time. There wasn’t the same level of polarization or urgency around bans, and pushing that issue likely would’ve cost them more than it gained.
Fast forward to now, and you’ve had sweeping reclassifications and a massive proposed buyback under Carney/Trudeau (previously )that’s affecting a much larger group of previously compliant owners. That fundamentally changes the calculus. What wasn’t politically viable then can become viable when the policy impact and the number of affected voters, gets big enough.
No, before the guns are removed I'd agree with you, after they have been removed they will not give them back.
The real question isn’t whether a government reverses a confiscation after it’s complete, it’s whether they stop it, amend it, or prevent it from fully happening in the first place. That’s where elections actually matter and why mass non compliance is so important to us.
And like it or not, politicians respond to incentives. If enough voters make this a priority issue, any party including Conservatives has a reason to act. If they don’t, then yeah, they’ll ignore it, but that seems highly unlikely for them to rug pull it.
Trying to frame the conservatives as not going far enough a decade ago vs now is just silly logic.
Plus here's the reality, who else is going to implement simplified classification?
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u/PhantomNomad al Apr 13 '26
I don't think they lose anything by rug pulling. They won't come right out and say it, but just give lip service to saying that "when the time is right" they will reverse it. That time will come maybe after the get a second term, but not in the first term. I hate this ban as much as the next legal gun owner, but I don't believe a single word the conservatives (or liberals) say about the subject.
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u/Lumindan Apr 13 '26
That’s a pretty cynical take, but it ignores how this actually plays out politically because the reality is, all political parties live or die on trust.
If the Conservatives campaigned on reversing the ban/buyback and then “rug pulled,” they would lose something credibility with a very motivated and organized voting bloc. Legal gun owners aren’t just passive voters; they’re highly engaged, donate, volunteer, and actually track policy follow-through. Burning that group early in a mandate would be a terrible trade-off for what is, realistically, very little political gain elsewhere.
The longer a confiscation program sits in place, the harder and more expensive it becomes to unwind. That creates pressure to deal with it sooner rather than later if they’re serious.
It would be free for the conservatives to drop an OIC and undo the liberals previous OICs.
Simplified classification would take more effort as would getting handguns back but they could undo a huge chunk if they had a minority tomorrow
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u/PhantomNomad al Apr 13 '26
Who else would you vote for? I guess you could vote for the People's Party, but that's just going to split the vote even more. You've got the Carney Liberals who are by far the most centrist party out there right now. The cons while maybe not far right, they are more right then center. Then the People's Party which is Libertarian. They are the most likely to reverse all of this.
I've become very cynical when it comes to political parties. I've been an NDP voter for most of my life. I don't like all of their policies but for me they are the lesser evil. Especially when Layton was the head. I hated voting for Singh, especially when he signed the deal with Trudeau. But at least he was able to get some social programs at least started.
I'm not a single issue voter. Yes I don't want to lose my firearms and my hobby that get's be active out side, but I just don't like my other choices even more. I think with enough rural seats in the NDP we could sway them to reverse course on Bill 21. Especially with the indigenous vote.
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u/Lumindan Apr 13 '26
Who else would you vote for? I guess you could vote for the People's Party, but that's just going to split the vote even more. You've got the Carney Liberals who are by far the most centrist party out there right now. The cons while maybe not far right, they are more right then center. Then the People's Party which is Libertarian. They are the most likely to reverse all of this
I wouldn’t really call the Liberals “centrist” on firearms. Whatever label you put on them broadly, their actual policy track record has been steadily more restrictive, not middle-of-the-road. That’s a real difference compared to the Conservatives, not just branding.
I've become very cynical when it comes to political parties. I've been an NDP voter for most of my life. I don't like all of their policies but for me they are the lesser evil. Especially when Layton was the head. I hated voting for Singh, especially when he signed the deal with Trudeau. But at least he was able to get some social programs at least started.
Not saying you should be a single-issue voter but if firearms policy matters even a bit, the NDP hasn’t really shown any signs they’re going to reverse course on it. Banking on that happening because of rural seats is… pretty optimistic.
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u/reliablerick May 31 '26
Your NDP vote helped bring in the coalition that passed the law. YOU are the problem.
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u/PhantomNomad al May 31 '26
I vote my conscience. Besides where I live it doesn't matter who I vote for. It's always going to be a conservative that gets in. BTW Fuck you for saying I'm the problem. I'm tired of people saying I have to vote a different way that only helps them. I'm also not a single issue voter. Guns are a long way down on my list. I would like the laws changed but I'm not changing my values just for that.
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u/Xaxxus Apr 13 '26
You assume Pierre pollievre is going to form a government. The media has done enough damage to his reputation now that there is basically 0 chance of a conservative government with him at the helm.
And when new leadership does happen, you can bet your ass all this gun ban stuff is going to be long forgotten.
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u/TheSaSQuatCh Apr 13 '26
That is patently false.
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u/mississauga145 Apr 13 '26
Based on what? They have already floated the idea of decriminalization of solicitation and only charged the users of Prostitution and not the prostitutes.
It isn't that large of a leap to figure they will eventually legalize it.
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u/TheSaSQuatCh Apr 13 '26
I was talking about your comment stating the conservatives wouldn’t reverse the bans… that’s patently false. My MP has said, on numerous occasions, that they would, indeed, roll all the bans back and unfreeze transfers.
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Apr 13 '26
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u/mississauga145 Apr 13 '26
I think we will see the day where brothels will be regulated.
Call me a dreamer.
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u/Birdybadass Apr 13 '26
No one knows if the transfer and sale of handguns will be welcomed back, but your assertion of using one for hunting or bear defence is wrong. Prior to C-21 you were not allowed to take your handgun on crown land for hunting or self defense purposes anyways.
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u/TarkovSundays Apr 13 '26
You would fucking hope mate😂 done absolutely nothing for crime Infact crime has actually gotten worse. So it’s fucking ridiculous and im making cheese grilled at night over how dumb it got me. makes me want to fuck glass
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u/PrestigiousStatus711 Apr 13 '26
Probably not. Better to just move the the US where your rights are protected. Firearm ownership in Canada will die a slow death. In a few decades Canada will be like UK or Australia.
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u/Xaxxus Apr 13 '26
Better do it quick. The liberals are floating a $500k fee for people wanting to leave and work in the US (which is really the only easy way to move down there).
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u/okcanadian94 Apr 13 '26
after an unregistered handgun shooting in my hometown whatever the date would of been, double it
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u/escv_69420 Apr 14 '26
Can you shivering city critters stop with the bearphobia? Are ursine animals your boogey man? Do you quake in fear and the very notion of a glorified racoon? Are you also afraid of racoons?
Toronto is that way bro.
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u/Sweetchildofmine88 Apr 14 '26
I have this weird feeling that we might get some AR’s back.
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u/IcySkyDream Apr 19 '26
Wut?
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u/Sweetchildofmine88 Apr 19 '26
24 day old account. 1.2k upvotes. You’re either a bot or a CPC influencer
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u/Freedom762x39mm Apr 14 '26
I really doubt it bud. Now this is my opinion so take it as you wish - Even if Canada got a majority Conservative Government I still don’t think they could amend the criminal code and “un freeze” handguns. The conservatives in Canada are basically soft liberals, and they never actually do anything. I know everyone keeps saying “Well Pierre said blah blah blah” but if you actually go back there is no article or video of PP saying he will lift the handgun freeze. My bet is that Canada continues to fall into a deep dark place
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u/burntlandboi Apr 14 '26
Probably not. They took their Inch and only now are we putting our collective feet down.
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u/Suspicious-Source Apr 15 '26
I’m hopeful common sense gun laws and castle doctrine will both be included in the hopefully obvious next conservative government.
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u/heater-1971 Apr 15 '26
No, period, and now it will become law, or worse yet an outright ban, confiscation.
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u/reliablerick May 31 '26
Move to the USA. Canada is becoming a socialist republic and individual rights aren't in vogue.
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u/fyfnw Jun 01 '26
You get what you accept.
The handgun freeze should have triggered a much stronger, sustained response from the firearms community when it was introduced. Too many existing handgun owners were relieved that they were allowed to keep what they already had, while the long-term future of the sport was quietly sacrificed. Now we are seeing the consequences: the market is drying up, new shooters have no path in, clubs and organizations are losing future members, and entire disciplines are being weakened.
If handgun ownership and handgun sports are ever going to have a chance in Canada again, the issue cannot be treated as settled. People need to keep raising it with their MLA, MP, and every organization that claims to represent them.
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u/garnids28 14d ago
I haven't read every comment, but everyone keeps saying the conservatives will lose voters if they run on platforms including lifting the freeze, but they don't have to... Just pander and get in, then lift.
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u/No-Night-48 Apr 13 '26
We have scholars, most police, and some politicians on our side. There's hope.
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u/itsmeAG32 Apr 13 '26
Hopium 2.0 buy back collection fails inflation continues to go up, program gets placed on hold then canceled.
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u/Ok-Nefariousness9875 13d ago
This also applies to British Columbia. Years ago I drove across the border and because the Border Guard saw my NRA Sticker on my back window he asked if I had any guns in the car and I said no. He asked if he could search my vehicle and I said sure. He asked me to pull over and get out which I did so he could do a search. He found nothing in the car and told me to have a good time visiting. I drove off smiling and my paranoid wife said where is it! I said in my pocket. He didn't ask me if I had anything on me so I wasn't lying.😁
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u/TopLemon3678 Apr 13 '26
I don't think anyone really knows the answer bud. Can always hope that they put more money into hunting criminals but banning things from law-abiding citizens is cheaper.