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.

185 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

86 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/_Shorty May 20 '26

Every 10 dB reduction is half as loud, so 30 dB down is 1/8th as loud. I’d say that’s significant.

1

u/One_Salary_9068 May 20 '26

Yes it is, and your ears will thank you for it. But the Gouvernement thinks you will Play sniper thats why its still prohibited.

1

u/_Shorty May 20 '26

My point is you said ONLY 30 dB like that was some small amount of change. And I’m simply pointing out that it is a huge change.

1

u/One_Salary_9068 May 20 '26

Yes it is huge you are right and i do get your point. But its not zero noise like , reason why its still prohibited. Thats my point.

1

u/_Shorty May 20 '26

It is always fun when ignorant people craft the laws. Hehe

1

u/One_Salary_9068 May 20 '26

Lets start a new country together...