r/canadaguns • u/StairwayHiker • Aug 07 '26
Misc Were Many of You Proactive Prior to October 21, 2022?
As we all know, Canada's national handgun buying ban—implemented as a freeze on the sale, purchase, and transfer of handguns—officially came into force on October 21, 2022.
Did many of you act proactively and transfer handguns from one generation to the next? Because that is precisely what my dad and I did.
Dad is still with us and now in his early 80s. Over a lifetime of selling reloaded handgun ammo to friends (back when it was still much cheaper to do so)….. he still casts lead bullets, does it all…. He slowly built up his handgun collection for IPSC and IDPA shooting. He ran IDPA Canada for many years. His collection stopped at just over 30 handguns.
In September of 2022 the writing was on the wall…. Trudeau was going to end the buying, selling, and transfer of handguns. So yeah, we transferred all his handguns and his few scary black guns into my name. We set up a long term storage ATT at his home and he continues to enjoy his guns. Subsequently I moved in to help my aging parents…. But thats beside the point…. The guns are in my name at least until the day I die.
My guess is the guns could possibly be handed in by my younger brother when I die….. but who knows…. That’s not my problem. I know he's not interested in keeping them as at very least his wife would object.
So yeah, we were proactive and ensured all 30 handguns would pass on to me. Lol, I couldn't possibly even name them all... But we made a spreadsheet with names, serial numbers, and values.
OK then, time to get cleaned up and take a few of them to the range this afternoon!
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u/CringelordCameron Aug 07 '26
I bought 10 handguns before the ban took effect, the final one was 2 days before the ban. My buddy's uncle had a huge handgun collection but didn't want to transfer it to anyone even though he was in poor health. He ended up passing less than a year after the ban took effect and his entire collection got destroyed. It's really sad that so many family heirlooms are being destroyed for no reason.
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u/Conanap2 Aug 07 '26
I was only able to secure a P320, not really sure why I didn’t buy more given that my favourite types of firearms were pistols lol.
I tried to get a Glock, but people were selling a 19X for 4000CAD… which is insane. I couldn’t go through with it. Couldn’t find them in stores either.
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u/GinnAdvent Aug 07 '26
They were around, but you had to constantly checking out forums and sub Reddit for deals or when a shipment comes in.
I managed to snag a 19x for maybe 150 dollars above MSRP price during the rush from Extreme Gun shooting center. They probably have like 500 Glocks imported and it was all gone within like 4 hrs after they updated the online portal.
Same thing happen at Prophet River, RDSC, Bullseye North, East Hill, and many more, basically anyone had handgun to sell, it was gone in a day.
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u/Conanap2 Aug 07 '26
Damn, that’s wild. I was looking everyday but still missed it… unlucky for me I guess.
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u/EnvironmentalFox7532 Aug 08 '26
That’s insane, that’s more than even the dark pipeline arrangement guys were asking back a while ago. I’ve had many such opportunities to acquire such things through sketchy sources through the years but never pursued it nor even asked in the first place. Totally not worth it considering the sketchy origins and consequences of doing something like that.
Being purposely vague and convoluting the words here to keep AI from harvesting or flagging this as useful data or advice to acquire, but I think most here will get what I’m saying.
I’ve had more such opportunities than I can count through the years and never took the bait. Never would never will. Not worth the potential consequences
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u/Otherwise_Rub_9515 Aug 08 '26
I missed the handgun freeze by 12 days.
It haunts me, it makes me feel sick to my stomach and I regret everyday not getting my PAL 10 years ago.
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u/Additional_Fold_1350 Aug 10 '26
Me too, I did my course back in 2014 but never submitted for my RPAL as I got busy with life and ended up moving provinces multiple times between then and 2020. Kept saying I would do it but then we were prepping to move so I was worried about an address change while waiting delays and other BS excuses. Coupled with lack of funds to justify purchases of what I wanted.
Really wish I picked one up when I could even if it was just a common 45 ACP pistol. If I could go back in time I would pick up a Revolver in 357 or 44mag, a 45ACP pistol and a single action revolver in 45 Long Colt. Was thinking on trying to get a 22LR through the exemptions but I am undecided as 22LR handguns aren't really that interesting to me. I've shot tons of handguns including 22LR, but after a box of 22LR I want something with a little more bang to it. Don't care for the SW 500mag, 454 Casull and other big bore handguns as I find them too much to shoot a lot and they are expensive to shoot. Biggest handgun Id buy if I could would be the 44mag or 45 LC, at least I can hit something on follow up shots.
I originally did my RPAL course just to try and get a wilderness exception to carry at work, but the company I work for wasn't for it so I never kept going in getting my RPAL. Thinking on submitting everything mainly to stick it to the liberals as there's not much interesting to me left other than maybe a restricted 12ga semi. Something super short, with birds head stock on it, but honestly not something I need and wouldn't be that great for anything other than a range toy.
Still going to submit this winter while I can incase they ever stop issuing RPALs the way things are going. Mainly for the off chance the freeze ever gets reversed, but I'm not holding my breath on it.
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u/-rifle-is-fine- Aug 07 '26
I got my gun license as a Covid hobby while everyone was learning to make bread.
My one grandma was concerned about this. I explained our firearns program, how I stored them so the kids have no access, and took her shooting.
She got her RPAL at 72. Bought a Roughrider and Type 54. She passed very suddenly this past year and thankfully left me her firearms in her will but I could not take the pistols. Thankfully there is a local gun club who are exempt and I was able to transfer the pistols so at least Colt Canada/CZ/RCMP can't destroy them, but knowing what I know now I wish I had talked to her about transferring to me and having her be secondary storage for me.
Bring it up to older family members!
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u/cernegiant Aug 07 '26
I brought two handguns on my wish list the day the ban was announced. Wish I'd brought more.
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u/Olive-Drab-Green Nyet! Rifle is Fine Aug 08 '26
Got a few, but didn’t get the elusive wheel gun :(
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u/Possible_Jellyfish69 Aug 07 '26
That's awesome you guys had the foresight. I got my PAL after the freeze so the only handguns I have are a couple antique revolvers. One nice thing about antiques is you can still pass them down
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u/Draxish Aug 07 '26
I was in a similar situation and I tried to get my now 93 year old grandfather to transfer his collection of WW1 and 2 pistols. Unfortunately he was too slow and now I just have to wait and hope he holds out till something changes. If not, I’ll have to find a way to deal with them.
At the very least I managed to snag three before the bans.
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u/swhissell Aug 07 '26
Sold all my restricteds prior to the freeze, wish I would have kept them… At least they let me keep my restricted status when I renewed, but who knows how long that will last.
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u/JackalDark Aug 08 '26
I got screwed when the libs illegally delayed all applications that would have completed within 2 months of the lockdown even though I should have had plenty of time to get something.
My wife who sent in her paperwork later than me so that hers would finish process after the OIC got her card a few weeks after the ban.
I didn’t get mine until February because they made up an excuse to redesign the cards and didn’t have the printers to issue them. It was obvious that I and many others got screwed this way simply because they wanted to slow down new transfers before their illegal ban.
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u/ilikefixingthingz Aug 08 '26
I was proactive by buying 8 more Restricted handguns between May and October, bringing my total HG count to 17, counting my antiques.
Wish I could have gotten another revolver, but at the prices they were going, it didn't make sense.
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u/PizzaExisting9878 Aug 08 '26
Funny thing about death…. You don’t have to answer to ANYONE where ANYTHING is 😂😂😂👌👌👌
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u/fyfnw Aug 13 '26
This freeze is only permanent if we give up. We have nothing left to lose from continuing to fight back. I'm hopeful that the freeze will be repealed. I doubt it will be a full repeal but probably a license that ties it to sport shooting activities.
Heck, even the UK has more flexibility in their firearms laws than us at this point which is so effed I can barely believe it. For example, the 22lr mini rifles they use for IPSC were all banned.
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u/Panjaab1 Aug 07 '26
Got my PAL in 2024 so missed the chance to get into handguns and rifles like the Bren. Just wanted to say your dad sounds like one hell of a guy and someone the entire firearms community benefits from.
Wish there were more like him in the community. Maybe we wouldn’t be in these dark times if there were.