r/canadaguns • u/Noah_S_Schwartz • May 19 '26

News / Politics / Activism When did Canada ban firearm suppressors/silencers/sound moderators?

Hi all. I am a researcher who does work on Firearms Policy. I am working on a policy paper to advocate for legalizing suppressors (as is the case in New Zealand, the UK, and most of Canada's peer countries in Europe).

I'm trying to figure out exactly when Canada banned firearm suppressors, and it's proving more difficult than I thought.

Most commentary or news sources trace the prohibition to the "early 1900s" but don't reference any laws, acts, or statutes - or even a specific year. I have checked the 1919 and 1927 editions of the criminal code, and can find no reference to a ban. It's not until the 1953 edition that Section 84 lays out a clear prohibition.

I've also searched through newspaper databases from that period (Globe, Citizen & Gazette), and the Parliamentary Hansard.

It's clear I'm missing a piece of the puzzle, but I can't seem to find it. Thus, I turn to the great collective wisdom of Reddit.

Any information or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

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u/SandySpectre May 19 '26

I’d say it was bill C51 in 1977. I don’t think there’s previous explicit bans on suppressors previous to C51.

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u/Noah_S_Schwartz May 19 '26

The 1953 criminal code lays out a ban. They are not called suppressors; they use the language "device or contrivance designed or intended to muffle or stop the sound or report of a firearm". But I believe the prohibition goes further back than this.

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u/chillyrabbit May 19 '26

Cssa had a detailed history of gun control posted on their website. Maybe reach out to them if they still have the files.

https://cssa-cila.org/for-their-own-good-firearm-control-in-canada-1867-1977/

The links are dead and its been a long time since I read it, but i felt like it was around the 1930's along with the handgun registration requirements at the time.

Iirc it was an anti poaching measure, and not one for movie silencers or crime use as people commonly express.

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u/Noah_S_Schwartz May 19 '26

Thanks so much! That's a great idea!

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u/chillyrabbit May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

I only remember vaguely that the paper at the time was well cited as I remember chasing a quote it had in the 1970's when C-51 was being put in that an LPC member arguing in the HoC stated "that self defense is better accomplished with a rifle than a handgun" as justifying the ATT and handgun self defense restrictions.

Though it was deliberately imo misquoted/misrepresented as 2 exchanges later when I read the orginal proceedings the LPC member clarified that he meant "rifles were better suited as defense against predators, not humans". Edit: the quote was something like "i mean the 4 legged variety not 2 legged"

So make sure you follow their citation to find the original document and not quote the paper if you find it.