By Karin Yeske

Buying guns in Canada much stricter than Connecticut

Dec 18, 2012 | 3:47 PM

As the gun law debate brews in the United States after the Connecticut school massacre, it is more apparent how different the laws are in Canada.

Firstly, you need a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) to buy a gun in Canada. The law is regulated at the federal level, where firearms are regulated at the state level in the U.S.

In Connecticut, which is touted as one of the strictest states for gun restrictions, there is no permit required to purchase rifles and shotguns.

Kevin Kopp, the owner of North Pro Sports in Saskatoon, said a major difference between the two countries is storage. In Canada, firearms must be kept in the home under lock and key.

“There are some pretty good safes on the market that lock down. If they were locked and they had that law there, that likely would have prevented what happened,” said Kopp.

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“We're not like Texas where you just carry them on your hip. Up here in Canada, we're actually quite regulated. You can't just carry it open in public. You can't even shoot it on your own property, legally.”

The accused shooter of Friday's massacre reportedly used a semi-automatic military-style .223-calibre Bushmaster rifle with magazines holding 30 rounds killing 26 people. Police say three guns were found inside the school and another was found outside, all of which were registered to the gunman's mother.

The rifles are legally possessed if they are registered every year.

Kopp said buying an AR-15 rifle would require a Restricted PAL which is a much more difficult licence to acquire.

“You basically go through everything: working, how to load, clean, safety. It's quite a test. You can't just walk in and pass. You have to really study,” said Kopp.

According to the Firearms Act in Canada, individuals must be at least 18 to get a licence authorizing them to have restricted firearms. Individuals younger than 18 years of age can use restricted firearms only if they are under the direct and immediate supervision of a licensed adult.

“In Canada, we are restricted. Let's say you have a black-looking firearm which is what everyone is talking about today. Our restriction in Canada is a five-round clip and 18.5-inch barrel. In the U.S., they get they can have a 10-inch barrel and a 30-round clip,” said Kopp.

In Connecticut, a proposal last year would have made it illegal to possess clips with more than 10 bullets. The proposal was successfully fought by gunmakers and the National Rifle Association.

Restricted firearms, according to the Criminal Code of Canada, include:

a. handgun that is not a prohibited firearm,

b. a firearm that

-is not a prohibited firearm,
-has a barrel less than 470 millimetres (18.5 inches) in length, and
-is capable of discharging centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner,

c. a firearm that is designed or adapted to be fired when reduced to a length of less than 660 mm (30 inches) by folding, telescoping or otherwise, or

d. a firearm of any other kind that is prescribed to be a restricted firearm

Prohibited firearms include:

1. a handgun that
-has a barrel equal to or less than 105 mm (4.1 inches) in length, or
-is designed or adapted to discharge a 25 or 32 calibre cartridge, but does not include any such handgun that is prescribed, where the handgun is for use in international sporting competitions governed by the rules of the International Shooting Union,

2. a firearm that is adapted from a rifle or shotgun, whether by sawing, cutting or any other alteration, and that, as so adapted,
-is less than 660 mm in length, or
-is 660 mm or greater in length and has a barrel less than 457 mm in length,

3. an automatic firearm, whether or not it has been altered to discharge only one projectile with one pressure of the trigger, or

4. any firearm that is prescribed to be a prohibited firearm