r/canadaguns • u/ALR0497 • May 17 '26

Application / Regulation advice Educational (not transactional) question about selling ammo to a PAL holder

*My question is purely educational. I'm not selling nor promoting anything transactional/marketing.*

As far as I know, in order to sell ammunition legally (individual to individual), a PAL holder must verify the buyer's PAL.

My question : Is it legally required to verify the buyer's PAL through the RCMP PAL portal (the one you use to update your PAL info, verify PAL number, etc)? I think it's not required, because as far as I know, legal gun stores only look physically at the PAL card and that's it (for selling ammunition).

I want to educate myself on this subject.

I made some research, but I didn't find an explicit answer. English isn't my first language so I hope my text is clear. Thank you for your help.

14 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

26

u/Lashiech May 17 '26

Every time I have purchased ammunition the store has asked to physically see my PAL, but the do not do the RCMP lookup like what would happen when purchasing a firearm.

I dont believe there is a legal requirement from retailers to document, only that they have to verify. I will note that I am not a lawyer and thats just my understanding of the system.

3

u/Natural_Comparison21 May 18 '26

Depends on the province. In Ontario there is a ammo registry.

14

u/itsagrapefruit May 17 '26

I’ve never had any actual store verify my pal with the RCMP in order to buy ammo. They just look at it and carry on.

3

u/ALR0497 May 17 '26

Thank you for your answers!

3

u/_MlCE_ May 18 '26

My two LGS only look at my card.

Same with parts purchases like magazines.

1

u/julienjj May 18 '26

Just presenting the PAL card that is not expired is enough.

1

u/skelecorn666 May 18 '26

Wait, are you guys telling me grandma can go to jail over a box of .22s?

I didn't think you needed a PAL just to possess ammo. That's dumb as hell.

1

u/AccountantLow8671 May 18 '26

I inherited a box of 22LR when my father passed. At the time I didn’t have my PAL. I contacted the local police who came and picked it up no questions asked. They were really professional and indicated it happened all the time.

1

u/skelecorn666 May 18 '26

But were you still technically in violation?

1

u/AccountantLow8671 May 19 '26

That is definitely a legal question which I am not qualified to provide. My impression was the there was no desire to point blame but rather to work collaboratively to make the situation safe without fear of prosecution or judgement. IMO the system worked as we would have expected by a lay person in that situation. Sometimes one needs to look at “intent” of law and not focus on absolutes. I have zero complaints how it worked out.

1

u/RDasher3333 May 20 '26

Not legal advice but AFAIK, a PAL is only required to purchase ammo. I believe the law is written that way to not criminalize people who happen to have a random box of buckshot that was in a box of grandpa’s belongings.

Please correct me if I’m wrong

1

u/skelecorn666 May 20 '26

Yeah, that's why I was asking.

The only thing I know, is I know not.

1

u/Fluffy_Dad May 18 '26

It is up to each individual retailer to determine how they want to confirm a valid PAL for the purchase of ammunition. Most are fine with a simple valid date check.

1

u/fuckbitingflies May 17 '26

I have seen this question come up in the past and the best answer I’ve seen that seems to balance the reasonable person standard with the letter of the law is that you should at least see the buyer’s PAL and that it is currently valid.

Regardless, the best practice for limiting your own liability is probably to verify the buyer’s PAL via the online portal and document the transfer date and time, what was transferred, quantity, etc.