TheGunBlog.ca — The number of shooting ranges in Canada has plunged by 36% since the Liberal Party-led administration ordered its mass gun confiscations of May 2020 against government-licensed firearm users.
Ranges Drop From 1,400 to 891
The country had 891 government-approved ranges in March 2024 compared with “approximately 1,400” at the end of 2019, according to the Ottawa-based Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Why It Matters
- To the best of our knowledge, this marks the first time the collapse in the number of target ranges has been made public.
- Shooting clubs and ranges are at the heart of gun culture and community as hubs to discover the joys of shooting, develop knowledge and skill, and socialize with other gun users.
- The slump is the newest data showing the Liberals, assisted by the RCMP, are partially succeeding in their campaign to suppress gun culture.
More Context
- The Liberals have targeted their newest confiscations at the most-active gun users: Recreational and sport shooters firing semi-automatic rifles (May 2020) and handguns (October 2022).
- The range decline risks leading to a vicious circle: Fewer opportunities to shoot leads to less interest in shooting.
- Despite the shutdowns of gun ranges, gun shops, and gun media, many firearm users downplay the Liberal+RCMP attacks and continue to vote Liberal.
- The crackdowns may not be the only reason why range closures are accelerating after a decade of stability. Other factors may include: Covid-19, rising expenses, aging members, …
Opposing Context
- Even as some ranges close, others have long waiting lists of prospective members wanting to join.
- The number of licensed gun users rose to a record of 2.3 million at the end of 2023.
- The Liberal+RCMP crackdowns face massive and growing opposition from institutions and individuals across Canada.
RCMP Statements
“As of March 2024, there were 891 active shooting range facilities in Canada,” Kim Chamberland, a spokesperson for the RCMP, told TheGunBlog.ca today by e-mail in response to our questions sent May 31.
“In 2019, there were approximately 1,400 shooting ranges in Canada,” the RCMP Commissioner of Firearms report said for that year.
In the latest edition, the 2022 report that was published online last week — almost a year late, the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program omitted the number of ranges for the first time in a decade.
The Liberals haven’t published the 2023 edition, although Chamberland said the RCMP submitted it to them.
“As part of its modernization efforts, the CFP has been working with Chief Firearms Officers to add information about shooting ranges into the Canadian Firearms Digital Services Solution,” Chamberland told TheGunBlog.ca. “The CFP is committed to including information about ranges in future reports.”