r/canadaguns • u/TheRealRyan24 • Apr 24 '26
Application / Regulation advice How to register an old firearm.
I have a friend whose dad has had possession of his grandparents old 22 and 12 ga for decades but the parent has not had a pal and they believe the guns are currently unregistered. Is there a proper way for my friend to takeover possession of these guns. (Sidenote the guns have sat way away in storage for literal decades and have not been fired in that time)
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u/TheEverElusiveSasq Apr 24 '26
If you’re outside of Quebec you do not need to register non restricted firearms. Long as your friend has his PAL he can just grab em.
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u/classicfroger420 Apr 24 '26
Why would you even want to register your guns? I’m not doing that.
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u/AdditionalLoss7274 Apr 24 '26
Lol. What??? Next thing you're gonna say you didn't declare your prohibs for Garry's confiscation plan.
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u/AlbertaFree16 Apr 28 '26
Why would anybody declare anything up until the day before? Or even after cause nobody knows you have them?
Anything can change from now till October
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u/AndreiHoo Apr 24 '26
You don’t register jack shit. Especially if it’s old.
Registration leads to confiscation
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u/Jay_Arrre Apr 24 '26
There is no longer a long gun registry except in Quebec. As long as the 22 is not a handgun or otherwise a restricted or prohibited firearm AND “your friend” or anyone in the household has a valid PAL then they are able to legally possess the firearms.
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u/IDriveAZamboni Apr 24 '26
Neither of them likely need to be registered due to being before the days of tacticool .22s the government hates.
Check the model numbers to see which class they fall in: nonrestricted, restricted, or prohibited.
If they’re non-restricted like I suspect, and you don’t live in Quebec, then there’s nothing you need to do. He can just pick them up and have them.
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u/julienjj Apr 24 '26
Long guns are not registered.
As long as that *friend* has his PAL he can legally have them under his possession.
Proper lawfull storage practices have to be followed at all time.
He should absolutely have a friend who hold a PAL hold them for him until he does the PAL course and receive his license. No paperwork is required for that.
Also make sure they are not prohibited before taking them out to the range and get them inspected by a knowledgeable person or a gunsmith before firing reaaaally old guns.
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u/Argented Apr 24 '26
there is no registration for .22 rifles or old shotguns ... unless you are in Quebec.
Get them safely stored in the hands of a valid PAL owner. Might want to have a gunsmith go over them.
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u/flstcjay Apr 24 '26
You don’t need to register long guns or unrestricted guns. All your friend has to do is transport them home and store them according to the rules.
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u/Familiar_Hunt_5164 Apr 24 '26
On a side note, In Quebec I believe I read somewhere that only around 21% of owned NR firearms have been registered with the SIAF since its creation.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. FYI, I am in no way shape or form suggesting anything illegal. I'm just stating what I have read on the interwebz.
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u/prosper_0 Apr 24 '26
depending on the source of that number, it could be waaaay overstated, too. Even under the federal registration program, a TON of folks never bothered to register them for whatever reason, and there's really no way of knowing how many of them there are. Same deal applies to quebec: you can't produce any sort of numbers that aren't based on wild-ass guesses because there's no knowing just how many folk just never reported anything.
Personal experience, but I don't know any older-aged person who'd bothered with registration around here. Even PALs were 'optional' in their eyes. "I'd had a FAC, and that's always been good enough." Farmers, hunters, rural folks, grandfather-types - just didn't see any point in registration. The only ones who did were younger shooters just getting into things, because buying a new gun from the store pretty much automatically was registered.
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u/Bohdyboy Apr 24 '26
Clearly neither you, nor your friend has PALs, or else you would know the answer to this.
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u/DougMacRay617 Apr 24 '26
Why would anyone register anything with this gov, these mindsets lead us to where we are today.
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u/MacintoshEddie Apr 24 '26
You can look up the make and model on Armalytics to find out what the legal status is. But in general referring to things as "a 22" can lead to unnecessary confusion as there's a big difference between a "Savage A22" and a "Ruger Bearcat" since one of them is a handgun.
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u/kipongakunippon Apr 24 '26
are you sure your friend has his pal? they teach this in the pal course your good just buy it
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u/BlandRusk06 Apr 24 '26
As long as they don't classify as restricted or prohibited firearms, there is no registration necessary. Just go and pick them up.
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u/Full_metal_pants077 Apr 27 '26
Get a pal, that's all. I would register anything. They are not restricted. All above board.
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u/Any_Wind655 Apr 24 '26
Assuming the .22 is a long gun, and you’re not located in Quebec, and your friend has his PAL… just go get ‘em.
There is no registry for NR long guns in the rest of the country anymore. Hasn’t been for some time.