Regulations Amending the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations: SOR/2025-209

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 159, Number 22

Registration
SOR/2025-209 October 10, 2025

FIREARMS ACT

P.C. 2025-713 October 10, 2025

Whereas the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is of the opinion that the changes made to the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations footnote a by the annexed Regulations Amending the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations are so immaterial and insubstantial that section 118 of the Firearms Act footnote b should not be applicable in the circumstances;

And whereas the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness will, in accordance with subsection 119(4) of that Act, have a statement of the reasons why he formed that opinion laid before each House of Parliament;

Therefore, Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, makes the annexed Regulations Amending the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations under paragraph 117(i)footnote c of the Firearms Act footnote b.

Regulations Amending the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations

Amendments

1 Subsection 1(1) of the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations footnote a is replaced by the following:

Definition of specified device

1 (1) In these Regulations, specified device means a prohibited device referred to in item 4 of Part 4 of the schedule to the Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited or Restricted.

2 (1) The portion of section 2 of the Regulations before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

Shipment of specified firearms — 2020 order

2 (1) Despite section 15 of the Storage, Display and Transportation of Firearms and Other Weapons by Businesses Regulations, a business that is a person referred to in paragraph 2(1)(a) or (b) of the Order Declaring an Amnesty Period (2020) may ship, during the period set out in subsection 2(3) of that Order, a specified firearm, as defined in section 1 of that Order, to a person located in Canada by posting it if

(2) Section 2 of the Regulations is amended by adding the following after subsection (1):

Exception

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a prohibited firearm referred to in item 2-2 of A Guide to Canada’s Export Control List, published by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, as amended from time to time, as adapted by paragraph 3(2)(a) of the schedule to the Defence Production Act.

3 The Regulations are amended by adding the following after section 2:

Shipment of specified firearms — 2024 order

2.1 (1) Despite section 15 of the Storage, Display and Transportation of Firearms and Other Weapons by Businesses Regulations, a business that is a person referred to in paragraph 2(1)(a) or (b) of the Order Declaring an Amnesty Period (2024) may ship, during the period set out in subsection 2(3) of that Order, a specified firearm, as defined in section 1 of that Order, to a person located in Canada by posting it if

Exception

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a prohibited firearm referred to in item 2-2 of A Guide to Canada’s Export Control List, published by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, as amended from time to time, as adapted by paragraph 3(2)(a) of the schedule to the Defence Production Act.

Shipment of specified firearms — 2025 order

2.2 (1) Despite section 15 of the Storage, Display and Transportation of Firearms and Other Weapons by Businesses Regulations, a business that is a person referred to in paragraph 2(1)(a) or (b) of the Order Declaring an Amnesty Period (2025) may ship, during the period set out in subsection 2(3) of that Order, a specified firearm, as defined in section 1 of that Order, to a person located in Canada by posting it if

Exception

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a prohibited firearm referred to in item 2-2 of A Guide to Canada’s Export Control List, published by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, as amended from time to time, as adapted by paragraph 3(2)(a) of the schedule to the Defence Production Act.

4 Section 4 of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

Transmission by post

4 The Storage, Display and Transportation of Firearms and Other Weapons by Businesses Regulations do not apply to the storage and transportation of a firearm or specified device that is shipped in accordance with these Regulations while it is in the course of transmission by post within Canada, from the time the firearm or specified device is posted to the time it is delivered to the addressee, within the meaning of subsection 2(2) of the Canada Post Corporation Act, or returned to the sender.

Coming into Force

5 These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered.

REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT

(This statement is not part of the Regulations.)

Issues

The Regulations Amending the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations (the Regulations) are needed to authorize businesses who are in lawful possession of assault-style firearms (ASFs) prohibited on December 5, 2024, and on March 7, 2025, to ship them by post for the purposes of destruction through the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program (the Program).

Background

On May 1, 2020, approximately 1 500 makes and models of ASFs, including their current and future variants, and certain upper receivers were reclassified as prohibited firearms and prohibited devices, respectively. With the identification of new variants, this prohibition now encompasses approximately 2 000 makes and models of ASFs. The accompanying Order Declaring an Amnesty Period (2020) [the 2020 Amnesty Order] protects licensed businesses and individuals who are in lawful possession of these ASFs and prohibited devices from criminal liability while they take steps to come into compliance with the law.

On October 16, 2024, the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations were made to support participation in the Program by enabling businesses that had entered into an agreement with the Government of Canada to ship by post certain ASFs and prohibited devices for the purposes of destruction. This expanded the range of shipping methods available to businesses participating in the Program beyond licensed carriers under the Firearms Act.

On December 5, 2024, and on March 7, 2025, 503 additional makes and models of ASFs, including their current and future variants, were reclassified as prohibited. The accompanying Order Declaring an Amnesty Period (2024) [the 2024 Amnesty Order] and Order Declaring an Amnesty Period (2025) [the 2025 Amnesty Order] protect licensed businesses and individuals who are in lawful possession of these ASFs from criminal liability while they take steps to come into compliance with the law.

Objective

The objective of the Regulations is to ensure that businesses protected under the 2020, 2024, and 2025 Amnesty Orders have the same shipping options to participate in the Program.

Description

The Regulations amend the structure of the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations and make the following changes:

Regulatory development

Consultation

The Regulations have been informed by consultations undertaken by Public Safety Canada with other federal government departments, including Public Services and Procurement Canada, as well as Canada Post. As the Regulations are temporary, targeted and facilitative in nature, Public Safety Canada did not conduct public consultations, and the Regulations were not prepublished in the Canada Gazette, Part I.

Indigenous engagement, consultation and modern treaty obligations

As required by the 2015 Cabinet Directive on the Federal Approach to Modern Treaty Implementation, an assessment of modern treaty implications was conducted for these Regulations. No specific self-government or modern treaty impacts were identified. No Indigenous groups were engaged or consulted in developing the Regulations.

Instrument choice

The only option to authorize the shipment by post of the ASFs prohibited in December 2024 and in March 2025 is a regulatory amendment to the Shipment by Post of Certain Prohibited Firearms and Prohibited Devices by Certain Businesses Regulations.

Regulatory analysis

Benefits and costs

The Regulations remove a regulatory barrier by authorizing eligible businesses to ship ASFs prohibited in December 2024 and in March 2025 by post. Consequently, a readily accessible shipping by post option presents a benefit to eligible businesses, as it provides them with an additional way by which they can turn in these ASFs for compensation. However, it should be noted that these affected businesses may decide to continue to use their licensed carrier of choice.

Providing for more shipping options results in minor incremental costs for the Government to inform businesses of this new option, such as updating web pages and sending email communications. As the Program reimburses shipping costs to affected businesses irrespective of whether they ship by post or a licensed carrier, shipping costs are not considered incremental for the purposes of the Regulations.

Canada Post may see an increase in demand for their services. However, this increase is not expected to be significant given that the Program is expected to collect a low volume of ASFs prohibited in December 2024 and in March 2025 held by businesses, and there will continue to be licensed carriers who will also be providing this service to businesses. During the collection phase of the Program for businesses impacted by the May 1, 2020, prohibition, approximately 30% of businesses chose to ship their ASFs and prohibited devices by post.

Small business lens

Analysis using the small business lens concluded that the Regulations impact small businesses. The Regulations provide an option to eligible small businesses to ship by post the ASFs prohibited in December 2024 and in March 2025 to participate in the Program. Allowing for more choice presents a benefit, as it gives eligible small businesses more shipping options.

One-for-one rule

The one-for-one rule does not apply, as there are no incremental administrative impacts on businesses. Eligible businesses that ship by post the ASFs prohibited in December 2024 and in March 2025 to participate in the Program will experience the same administrative burden as businesses that ship by licensed carrier. In both cases, businesses will need to provide detailed information to participate in the Program.

Regulatory cooperation and alignment

The Regulations are not part of an existing formal regulatory cooperation initiative.

International obligations

The Regulations do not have any linkage to international agreements or obligations.

Effects on the environment

In accordance with the Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment, a preliminary scan was conducted and did not identify any potential positive or negative environmental effects.

Gender-based analysis plus

No gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) impacts have been identified for the Regulations.

Rationale

Without the Regulations, ASFs prohibited in December 2024 and in March 2025 would remain non-mailable matter under the Non-mailable Matter Regulations of the Canada Post Corporation Act. The shipping by post of these ASFs by businesses protected under the 2024 and 2025 Amnesty Orders would be a contravention of the Storage, Display and Transportation of Firearms and Other Weapons by Businesses Regulations under the Firearms Act and the Criminal Code. Businesses would only be able to use licensed carriers to participate in the Program. Access to licensed carriers may be challenging for some of these businesses, particularly those in rural and remote areas. Further, a differentiated approach to participation in the Program by businesses protected under the 2020 Amnesty Order and businesses protected under the 2024 and 2025 Amnesty Orders would introduce complexity and risks.

Implementation, compliance and enforcement, and service standards

Implementation

The Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered. Eligible businesses will need to meet all conditions set out in the Regulations to ship by post the ASFs prohibited in December 2024 and in March 2025. This includes entering into an agreement with the Government of Canada for the purposes of destruction, packaging the ASFs in accordance with the Regulations, and shipping them by post to designated recipients located in Canada.

Like existing processes for shipping firearms by post, Canada Post will not be required to meet storage and transportation measures under the Storage, Display and Transportation of Firearms and Other Weapons by Businesses Regulations during transmission by post from the time these ASFs are posted to the time they are delivered to the addressee or returned to the sender. Requirements on how a firearm is transported during transmission by post are established by Canada Post. Canada Post would charge a postage fee directly charged to the affected business, who will then submit this expense for reimbursement through the Program.

Compliance and enforcement

The Regulations include conditions to lawfully ship the ASFs prohibited in December 2024 and in March 2025 by post. If these conditions are not met, businesses would be in contravention of Part III of the Criminal Code (Firearms and Other Weapons), the Firearms Act, regulations under the Firearms Act and the Non-mailable Matter Regulations under the Canada Post Corporation Act, and would be subject to their associated penalties, including imprisonment.

Contact

Public Safety Canada
Firearms Policy Directorate
Email: ps.firearms-armesafeu.sp@ps-sp.gc.ca