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.
2
u/RudePrior2220 May 20 '26
With the strict laws we already have on Canada there's no good reason not to allow suppressors for long guns.
The extra weight and length doesn't matter for most of us and it's a good tradeoff for protecting your ears.
I get it, ear protection helps as well. But I have it seen multiple times that people have a conversation and then just forget to put them on.
And it's very beneficial when hunting because you reduce the noise pollution. Besides the hunters health. I have met a couple old school hunters who think one shot won't hurt without ear protection.