For weeks, Ontario’s Chief Firearms Office refused to answer the one question gun owners needed answered plainly.
“Will PAL holders who continue to possess newly prohibited firearms lose their licenses, yes or no?”
Now we have two written responses. Neither gives gun owners the direct answer they deserved, and taken together, they deliver a clear warning.
The April 7 letter says the CFO does not proactively revoke a firearms license solely because a PAL holder possesses a firearm prohibited under the May 1, 2020 Order in Council, provided that person remains within the scope of the amnesty.[i]
That’s the protection being offered. It is narrow, conditional, and temporary.
That same letter also makes clear what happens when that protection ends.
If the amnesty expires or if its conditions are not met, enforcement falls to police and the CFO continues to exercise its statutory responsibilities under applicable law.
In plain English, that means the temporary shield only exists for those who remain fully compliant.
Step outside it, and both criminal enforcement and licensing consequences come back into play.
The March 13 response removes even more doubt.[ii]
It states that participation in the federal compensation program is voluntary, but compliance with federal legislation is mandatory.
It sets out the four paths the government considers lawful disposal: participate in the compensation program, export the firearm, surrender it for destruction, or permanently deactivate it.
It then states that affected firearms must be dealt with before October 30, 2026, and warns that continued possession after that date may expose individuals to criminal liability.
It also points directly to the CFO’s regulatory authority over licensing decisions, including potential license revocations.
Once the amnesty is gone or you breach its terms, your legal position changes immediately.
That’s the point members must understand.
These letters also expose the contradiction at the heart of Ontario’s position.
Premier Ford’s government says it opposes the federal confiscation scheme and will not assist it.
Yet Ontario’s Chief Firearms Officer is still administering the legal consequences of that same scheme, because the Ontario CFO is administering the legal consequences of the federal firearms confiscation scheme, despite the province’s public opposition to it.
However loudly the province distances itself politically, the machinery of compliance, enforcement, and license risk all remain in place.
The Ontario CFO would not give a simple answer. But he gave a clear warning, in writing. Members should treat it as one.
As always, the CSSA must urge all licensed owners with firearms captured by the May 2020, December 2024, and March 2025 OIC prohibitions to comply with the amnesty conditions before the 30th of October, 2026. Members should understand the risk: non-compliance may result in criminal liability and may also place their license at risk.
[i] https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/CSSA/PDF/Ontario-CFO-Response-2026-04-07.pdf
[ii] https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/CSSA/PDF/Ontario-CFO-Response-2026-03-13.pdf
1 Comment
Tom
This should not come as a surprise to any gun owner who understands the criminal code of canada. Any reasonable person who understands that policy must be based on evidence and not emotion will appreciate that the federal government has acted immorally and illegally in the banning of hunting and sport-shooting firearms. Never mind their misuse of OICs to ram their will up the population’s behind – the banning of private property from severely good people (the licensed Canadian hunters and sport shooters) is immoral to start with – what is this? are we now in the age of pre-crime??. Hopefully the SCC will see this issue for what it is – a pathetic attempt by the ruling party to vote-farm, an action that places a bunch of innocent people into very precarious positions.
Provincial/territorial/police forces rhetoric regarding “we do not support the ASFCP” is nice, but does nothing to safe-guard good people against wrongful prosecution (wrongful because Trudeau used emotion instead of facts to formulate public policy, as lieberals tend to do). You need to put pressure on your provincial government – do it NOW, they are going on extended vacation very shortly.
Saskatchewan and Alberta are taking active measures to protect their citizens against criminal prosecution for crimes they never committed, and never will commit (providing you appreciate that all the evidence does not implicate hunters and sport shooters in the commission of gun violence, and also providing that you understand the police forces, primarily RCMP, have screwed the pooch multiple times in stopping gun violence, perpetrated by individuals who may as well have had a neon sign above their heads flashing “criminal at large, cuff me now” from taking place).
Ultimately, the honest, good, lawful Canadian gun owner is paying the price for law enforcement complete incompetence, weak liberal justice system treatment of actual criminals, and, most concerning, a dictatorial/tyrannical federal government that cannot pass a single day without lying to you.