r/canadaguns • u/mjskopun • May 20 '26
Buy recommendations New to gun ownership
I thought Canada was safe, then I got home invaded. Still dealing with the PTSD but in the meantime, looking at gun ownership. Want to do it correctly, any tips about how to get one?
Also, (this is for the experts) based on the legal list of guns (hand guns for now) what is the best quality gun that -
- doesn't require tons of maintenance
- is Quality (not cheap crap)
- Doesn't lose it's aim after some use
Thanks for the feedback.
Noob
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u/NSH-93 May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Oh that’s illegal. But get an illegal firearm smuggled from the US, feds didn’t grab those, they seem legal.
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u/No_Promise_9803 May 20 '26
Obtain your Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) first. Then thank your local Liberal MP for not being able to legally buy handguns anymore. In 6-12 months from now, when you have PAL in hand, we may help you to pick something... suitable.
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u/ProtoJazz May 21 '26
Really depends on province. In Manitoba no one I know has had theirs take much more than the min 28 days. Accounting for stuff like holidays, or mail delays. One of mine took a bit longer but it was because a page was missing or not filled out, or they couldn't read it or something.
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u/DropMeAnOrangeBeam May 25 '26
I'm in BC. Mine took 6 weeks. Another took 6 months but that was entirely the fault of the applicant as he submitted it and didn't check up on it and the RCMP had a question about one of his contacts.
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u/BigCyanDinosaur May 30 '26
Still can't use it for home defense no matter how many handguns can or can't get.
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u/No_Promise_9803 May 30 '26
You can use it. They'll drag you through the courts but if it is justified, charges will be dropped. Recent cases like that exist. So, need to buy legal defense insurance as well, costs $250 a year.
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u/1question10answers May 20 '26
FYI if you say you're taking your PAL course for self defense, you won't get your license
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
Alright, why is that? Can you explain the govt's reasoning behind it?
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u/barofsoap89 May 24 '26
The government doesn't want you using guns for self defense against other people, check out self defense laws in Canada
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u/boozefiend3000 May 20 '26 edited May 21 '26
Well, you’re not getting a license claiming it will be used for self defence
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u/Strong-Owl-55 May 20 '26
Mossverg maverick 88
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
Cool. Why?
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u/Strong-Owl-55 May 24 '26
Just a cheap reliable shotgun can get used for 200-300$ on gunpost that's about it. I prefer an ithaca 37
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u/gnu_gai May 20 '26
First worry about passing your C(R)FSC and successfully applying for your (R)PAL, then worry about which specific gun to buy. Just a heads up that possessing a firearm with the intent to use it in self defense is a crime, and that PTSD will make the RCMP less likely to grant your PAL
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u/givemehellll al May 20 '26
The PTSD part isn’t accurate… unless you bring up the whole need a gun for self defence because of PTSD.
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u/greekdude1821 on May 21 '26
CFO has to determine if your PTSD is well managed and doesn't cause a danger to society.
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
Right, these are all good points. The PTSD is simply that I get angry at the theives. Really that's it. There's no lasting mental issues. Like if i was in a mall and saw someone robbing a store, I would trip them as they run by me because I know the pain the store owner is going to feel.
Also, I now have less compassion for those that rob without regard. I'm still compassionate to those that are desperate.
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u/PhilthyLIVES May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
As others have said, you can't buy a gun for the purpose of self defense. It may be permissible to use depending on how the home invasion happens.
Also, I wouldn't use a handgun for self defense even if you could still buy one today. Shotgun is the best bet for that.
Lastly, I would reccomend you don't try to get your license since you only seem to be interested in using it for self defense and won't shoot much. Someone that owns a gun to possibly shoot someone in an intense situation and does not use it much is more dangerous to their family and themselves. You could easily shoot yourself or be jumpy and shoot a family member.
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
Oh no, my primary purpose is to learn to use a gun and shooting ranges. I wouldn't make it my primary defense strategy.
Why a shotgun? I've heard you don't need skill for that, not sure if its true. Also, what would you recommend?
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u/Fit_Fuel_6515 May 20 '26
Ban hammer on this thread in 3, 2.....
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u/Cre_AK47 Name Prohibited by OIC May 20 '26
Nah it's good to stay for now. Good for our community to educate prospective gun owners.
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May 21 '26
[deleted]
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u/DoYouGetSarcasm May 21 '26
I'm not a mod but:
All posts (not including replies, eg to stickied posts) need to be approved by the mods. The mods should read each post and when something like that comes up they should disapprove it for breaking the rules (sub/Reddit). They mostly do but some times they decide to leave up posts that break the rules and then Reddit admins come in and remove them.
They have discretion, they CAN disapprove posts they think are in bad faith, but i don't know their mandate on that or what criteria the mods would use. I bet it's hard to walk that line and know which side a post is on of allowing legit people who want to learn vs stopping trolls, etc.
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
Is that what I sound like??
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May 24 '26 edited May 25 '26
[deleted]
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u/mjskopun May 28 '26
I see, I guess that's on me. I did go to the RCMP's website and saw different types of courses to get certification. My reason for asking was looking for expertise since I don't have any regarding make model etc. I was giving context for why I'm asking
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u/BigCyanDinosaur May 30 '26
Half the comments are promoting/supporting OP. This is not the education you want spreading especially with how close this sub is watched. Complete fumble.
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u/Relevant_Diver_3228 May 20 '26
first you cant use a firearm for self defense legally in Canada
second you cannot buy a handgun in Canada because they have been frozen since 2022
third in order to get a firearm in Canada you need to pass a PAL course and then get approved by the RCMP which takes time but will probably take more time because you have PTSD
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u/LordRevan1996 May 20 '26
1st point isn’t 100% true. You can’t possess anything, including firearms, for the specific purpose of self defence. So this makes what OP is asking for illegal. BUT firearms possessed for other legal reasons can technically be used for self defence as long as its use is a “proportional response” to the threat. You will be charged either way to determine if your response was proportional.
Obligatory NOT a lawyer, so take this with a grain of salt.
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u/Relevant_Diver_3228 May 20 '26
yes you are right
I was just saying that because you will have to go through court for a long time and they probably will end up giving you time but idk
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u/LordRevan1996 May 20 '26
Fair. I’ve heard of cases where people do come out on top, but that’s after tons of stress and legal fees. There’s also no duty to retreat from your home in defensive situations, but again the proportional response bit makes it convoluted.
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
Good to know.
Just as a general query, how are you expected to defend yourself, My mindset is that you have to hurt me first before I hurt you. I'm not trigger happy or scared when dealing with threats so it would definitely be less that proportionate.
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u/givemehellll al May 24 '26
People don’t like to hear it, but the best defence, is running away or hiding. If you engage untrained, you have a near 100% chance of getting yourself hurt. If you have extensive training, you have a slightly better chance. If you are incapacitated because you wanted to protect your 15 year old flat screen, then your family is left to fend for themselves.
If I experience a home invasion, my first goal is to get my family to safety. My second is to get myself to safety. They can have my crap, it’s all worthless compared to my life.
MOST important, something I have learned through my own PTSD, is not everyone (aka no-one) is out to get you. The world is not filled with evil, and most things aren’t threats. People do bad things sometimes, but that isn’t the norm. Get talking to a pro, and take care of yourself.
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u/DropMeAnOrangeBeam May 25 '26
Because you have to go to where you've stored your firearm and then either remove the trigger lock or take it out of the locked container/safe/vault. You cannot legally store a loaded firearm. So if you go out of your way to get your gun and load it, you've kind of escalated the issue.
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u/airchinapilot May 25 '26
My mindset is that you have to hurt me first before I hurt you.
I am not a lawyer but the self defense law allows you to act even if you fear harm will imminently befall you or someone else.
The law just doesn't want to give you license to go out and seek situations where you could say you were acting in self defense. The law is to give you legal backing if the situation comes to you. Someone coming unwanted into your own home is the situation coming to you. However, in some of the cases that were ruled against the owner, the owner left their home to confront someone.
And it isn't based upon hurt or level of hurt. The intent behind the self defense law is to allow you to act to stop the threat which doesn't mean you have to necessarily hurt someone back. For example, you could enact just enough force to get the aggressor out of your home. But if the act did require you harm someone, there is enough in the law to make it defensible in court.
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u/mjskopun May 28 '26
I like this response. It's more sane than what sounds like I'm responsible for the robber.
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
Good info. I still don't understand this "can't use a firearm for self defence. " I guess all the US televsion influences what's legal without actually knowing how it works in Canada.
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u/airchinapilot May 25 '26
People have had charges dropped or been acquitted for using a firearm in self defense in Canada. It all comes down to the circumstances of what happened - and whether your lawyer was smart enough to use the existing law to protect your rights.
In Canada you can have acquire a firearm for other purposes - just not self defense (except for against an animal).
At the same time, you are allowed to defend yourself and it does NOT exclude using a weapon (could be anything - could be a kitchen knife, a hammer, a table leg) if the circumstances support your action as reasonable. It is also the case that in Canada, it is very unlikely you will have a firearm available legally when you are attacked since our legal use of firearms is very restricted.
If you see it this way, really the likely scenario of most Canadians using a firearm to defend themself is only if someone has threatened or used force against them or a loved one in their own home which is where their firearms are legally stored.
The Crown would look very severely if you were outside of your residence and had a firearm and used it in what you said was self defense. That said, even criminals on the street have successfully defended themselves in court for using firearms in self defense - though they most probably had to plea to other charges because they shouldn't have had the firearm in that circumstance.
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u/Mr_Nuclear1 May 21 '26
First off, sorry that this unfortunate event occurred…
That being said, owning firearms (or anything for that matter) for the purpose of self defence (from people not animals) is illegal
You may only acquire firearms for
1 learning for the sake of learning
2 target shooting
3 competition
4 hunting
You also can’t buy handguns post 2021 🥀
Additionally idk if (your) ptsd counts as a mental health disorder, but if it does, you would likely need a physician sign off, as well as a potential interview which will complicate the process of acquiring firearms…
Unfortunately this is the sad reality in Canada, and with this government in charge it will likely never change, the best path forward is to become politically active and push for reform…
Again really sorry this happend to you, our community always wants new people to join, so perhaps once you’ve gotten over some of the mental ordeal and are in the right mindset, re evaluate your intentions and see if your still interested in legal ownership…
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
Thanks for saying that much appreciated.
My primary purpose is for 1 and 2.
My mental health is good. i'm not incapacitated whenever I think of the event.
Can someone explain the reasoning behind why handguns are banned? I can understand banning automatic rapid fire weapons, it's not a war zone, but why handguns? Is the intent to make guns illegal? Or just make it easier to charge idiots when they use guns stupidly?
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u/Mr_Nuclear1 May 24 '26
I think you’ll realize after scrolling this sub for a bit, nothing related to gun control the Canadian government has ever done, has had foundation in logic or actual public safety. All of the latest bans have been as a response to a mass shooting, non of which used legal guns (all snuggled from USA)
But at the end of the day, the liberal government doesn’t really care about public safety, they do care about what gains them the most votes, and headline wins like GUN BANS get them votes.
It’s lowk pretty bad but I did in school write an essay abt why gun control in Canada was shit…
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Tk-ySp6ma8p8CKCwgmqPf2R5O0lGiHemXMukYeNq7g/edit?usp=drivesdk
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u/mjskopun May 28 '26
Interesting. I look at guns like I look at cars or scissors. All are tools, but the user chooses the good or bad use.
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u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) May 21 '26
The sort answer is no.
Some googling will help you understand why.
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u/epnk420 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
Hunting, range or competition are really the only reasons to own a gun in Canada and handguns are long gone unless you got in there before the freeze. And besides our storage laws wouldn’t let you have your firearm in the time it would be required this ain’t America. Sorry to hear this happened to you but do not try to get a gun for self defence
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u/gamercast1337 May 21 '26
Dude this is illegal . Self defense is NOT a valid reason for pal ownership in this country, sorry to say.
Thank the liberal government for doubling down in it, for them restricting all the guns, and for letting out the criminals and letting this crime wave rise rhat lead to your traumatic event.
But id keep this self defense reason quiet especially on your course and during the paperwork stage or else you WILL be denied.
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u/Mother_Refrigerator3 May 21 '26
I think what you are looking for is a baseball bat and some therapy
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u/Current-Speed4096 May 20 '26
just so you know, self defense with a firearm is almost illegal in Canada.
also, you don't own guns just because some places are safe or not safe.
and..... get your PAL and RPAL first.
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u/567432Gains May 20 '26
Well like, you can technically use a firearm in self defence capacity’s…. It’s just that you cannot get the license or firearm for that purpose, and you also cannot go past using reasonable force. Plus it needs to be stored legally and the legal way of storing is not always going to be good for a scenario where you would need it fast…such as a home invasion.
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
Great I'm all for storing legally, and yeah, after hearing all these comments, it doesn't make sense to use as a primary defence.
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u/567432Gains May 29 '26
I would recommend getting a very heavy to break down door for your bedroom and front door, security cameras wired to your bedroom TV to see what’s happening, and then potentially coming up with a legal way to store your guns that is still very efficient to access should you need to. Best course of action is to buy yourself time in any scenario someone is breaking into your house anyways. This just means you also have the extra time to get at something you can use to defend yourself.
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u/Ok_Lavishness960 May 20 '26
Can't defend yourself with a gun in this country unfortunately. Get yourself a big dog.
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u/Bearchill May 20 '26
If you are looking for something for controlling dangerous predators, bear and dog spray are available and easy to purchase.
It is important to remember though, pepper spray intended for use against people is a prohibited wearpon, so only intend to use animal spray for the animals.
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u/givemehellll al May 20 '26
For the love of all that is holy, do not use bear spray against “bears” in your home. You and your family will be affected for weeks, and your ability to do anything will be equally as diminished as the bear.
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u/Bearchill May 21 '26
Fair points! However, this might be a better option then a firearm if the person using it is untrained.
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u/mjskopun May 24 '26
I agree with that. Primary purpose is to learn how to use it. Any places that are good ranges?
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u/Bearchill May 24 '26
It really depends where you are. If you are planning to train with firearms, reach out to your local range and see if there is anyone who would be willing to bring you out with them. Take a PAL course and get the process started. Then eventually you can get your own guns, your own range membership, and then you can join some shooting sports like IPSC and 3 Gun.
The only legitimate reasons to own a gun in Canada are for hunting and for target shooting. So be sure to focus on those reasons when you take up the hobby.
If you are looking for some ways to feel more secure, look at better locks, cameras, and motion lights. These things help discourage nefarious acrivies around your place. Also, develop shelter-in-place and escape plans, so if you run into another emergency, you have a plan.
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u/Water-Foul May 28 '26
I’d rather not go into the legality of it as others have already done so. I understand that when you have been made a victim in the past, things like ‘just run away’ or ‘call the police’ don’t really suffice. Obviously if OP was the victim of an actual violent home invasion they were let down by the system that was supposed to protect them, and they’re desire to protect themselves and not be made a victim again is valid and logical. I would encourage you to enrol at a school that teaches practical martial arts for the purpose of self defence IE Krav Maga, or self defence focused judo. If you do not have any experience or training with weapons, suddenly having access to them, especially when what little training you will receive at the pal course will be basic safety and range procedure, will not make you capable of defending yourself at a lethal level. Learn to fight at a fundamental level, then fortify/secure your home accordingly. If at that point you still feel unsafe then you may have to explore more creative options, but with the aforementioned training you will be in a better place to do so.
I don’t mean to sound shady, those options are probably mostly relocating from a dangerous urban environment. As well, a dangerous urban environment is probably the least likely place Canadian police will tolerate any kind of ‘proactive’ self defence measures IE securing weapons.
I’m very sorry for your experience and I hope you can feel secure in your home again somehow.
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u/mjskopun Jun 02 '26
Thanks for saying that. I live in a relatively safe neighbourhood, but your advice regarding training is good. Guns are not the only solution.
I know the world is getting crazy and places that were considered safe are no longer that way. I would like to live in a Canada that is not requiring a gun in the first place, but pragmatically, it looks like it's getting harder to do. If we were an island like New Zeland, it would be easier.
I also agree that making a relatively safe neighbourhood more dangerous by introducing guns into the mix is also not a solution, except for gun makers, as it is only a negative escalation. I'm not going to do anything out of fear, but I am trying to be pragmatic.
Anyway, appreciate the advice.
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u/Hour-Consideration29 May 31 '26
You don't need a gun, just leave ur car key at front door will prevent violent home invasions.
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u/Iokua_CDN May 20 '26
Just answering the questions best I can, but you want a shotgun. Likely a pump action shotgun for reliability. Price range will dictate which one you get, but you have everything from a $300 Maverick 88, to over a grand for a Benelli shotgun.
Not much maintenance, Quality and doesn't lose its aim.
Hand guns are a No. Absolutely not, plus illegal to use outside of a shooting range. You will get charged if you use a handgun to shoot a robber. You will get charged if you use any gun to shoot a robber, but you might be cleared of those charges if you prove you were justified. Not so with a handgun. Range use only, and not even that since right now Pistol sales are Halted/frozen so you can't even buy pistols.
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u/Neat_Imagination2503 May 20 '26
That’s just false. does not matter what gun you use handgun or shotgun. It’s the exact same defence in court
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u/Cre_AK47 Name Prohibited by OIC May 20 '26
It is the same defence but low IQ judges (not knowing guns) will for some reason give more scrutiny if you used a prohibited AR15 vs a Non-restricted Backland Hunter, even though it's the same calibre and everything.
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u/Neat_Imagination2503 May 20 '26
Sorry again, false. Father is a crown attorney and I’m sitting with him now. Says it does not matter what gun is used if it’s legally owned it’s the exact same charge and process and will have zero bearing on the case
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u/Cre_AK47 Name Prohibited by OIC May 20 '26
Ouh this thread is going to be good...