TheGunBlog.ca — The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which administers the government-controlled firearm market, published its 2023 Commissioner of Firearms report today.
Below are some highlights from the 29-page annual report by the Canadian Firearms Program.
Note: TheGunBlog.ca reported in January that the number of Canadians with a firearm Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) rose to a record at 31 December 2023.
Data Highlights
Licensed Individuals
| Total Licence Holders (PAL + Minors) | 2,364,726 |
| Total PAL Holders | 2,352,504 |
| “Non-Restricted” PAL | 1,560,304 |
| “Restricted” PAL (RPAL) | 752,002 |
| “Prohibited” PAL | 40,188 |
| Minor’s Licence | 12,222 |
| Five-Year Change in Licences (PAL + Minors) | +6.5% |
| New PALs in 2023 | 164,053 |
| Renewed PALs in 2023 | 316,817 |
Registered Firearms (Individuals)
| Total (Almost All Are Handguns) | 1,296,221 |
| “Restricted” | 1,126,751 |
| “Prohibited” | 169,470 |
| Five-Year Change in Registrations | +4.9% |
- Note: Registrations exclude about 110,000 de-registered (and previously registered and “Restricted”) rifles targeted by the Liberal Party’s May 2020 confiscation order.
Licensed Businesses
| Total | 4,036 |
| Guns and Ammo | 2,378 |
| Ammunition Only | 1,658 |
| Five-Year Change in Business Licences | -9% |
Requests To Transfer Ownership of “Non-Restricted” Rifles and Shotguns
| Total “Reference Numbers” Issued | 425,231 |
| Daily Average | 1,165 |
- Based on issuance, we believe that gun shops request a “Reference Number” from the RCMP to sell rifles and shotguns, and that individuals generally don’t.
- We estimate Canadians buy about 1,000 new guns per day (from gun stores), and about 2,000 used guns per day (from each other).
- Just one more example of bureaucratic waste that could land you in jail for doing nothing wrong. Thankfully, enforcement is (almost) impossible.
Number of Shooting Ranges
- Excluded from 2023 report.
- Related: Canada Gun Ranges Plunge 36% Since Liberal 2020 Confiscation Order
RCMP Silent on Its Confiscation Work
- Notably absent from the 2023 annual report is any mention of the RCMP’s work to criminalize government-licensed firearm users and confiscate their guns, or why it’s helping authoritarian politicians crack down on honest citizens.
- No mention of how many lawfully owned rifles and shotguns have been seized under the May 2020 confiscation order.
- No mention of how many lawfully owned handguns have been seized under the October 2022 confiscation order or Bill C-21 (2023).
Charts
These are the same charts as at Canada Gun Facts and Stats.