Persons Exempted From Firearm Offences

This page was last substantively updated or reviewed January 2018. (Rev. # 95842)

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Exempted Persons

Public officers

117.07 (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, but subject to section 117.1 [exception to exempted persons], no public officer is guilty of an offence under this Act or the Firearms Act by reason only that the public officer

(a) possesses a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device, any prohibited ammunition or an explosive substance in the course of or for the purpose of the public officer’s duties or employment;

(b) manufactures or transfers, or offers to manufacture or transfer, a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device, any ammunition or any prohibited ammunition in the course of the public officer’s duties or employment;

(c) exports or imports a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device or any prohibited ammunition in the course of the public officer’s duties or employment;

(d) exports or imports a component or part designed exclusively for use in the manufacture of or assembly into an automatic firearm in the course of the public officer’s duties or employment;

(e) in the course of the public officer’s duties or employment, alters a firearm so that it is capable of, or manufactures or assembles any firearm with intent to produce a firearm that is capable of, discharging projectiles in rapid succession during one pressure of the trigger;

(f) fails to report the loss, theft or finding of any firearm, prohibited weapon, restricted weapon, prohibited device, ammunition, prohibited ammunition or explosive substance that occurs in the course of the public officer’s duties or employment or the destruction of any such thing in the course of the public officer’s duties or employment; or

(g) alters a serial number on a firearm in the course of the public officer’s duties or employment.

Definition of public officer

(2) In this section, public officer means

(a) a peace officer;

(b) a member of the Canadian Forces or of the armed forces of a state other than Canada who is attached or seconded to any of the Canadian Forces;

(c) an operator of a museum established by the Chief of the Defence Staff or a person employed in any such museum;

(d) a member of a cadet organization under the control and supervision of the Canadian Forces;

(e) a person training to become a police officer or a peace officer under the control and supervision of

(i) a police force, or

(ii) a police academy or similar institution designated by the Attorney General of Canada or the lieutenant governor in council of a province;

(f) a member of a visiting force, within the meaning of section 2 of the Visiting Forces Act, who is authorized under paragraph 14(a) of that Act to possess and carry explosives, ammunition and firearms;

(g) a person, or member of a class of persons, employed in the federal public administration or by the government of a province or municipality who is prescribed to be a public officer;

(h) the Commissioner of Firearms, the Registrar, a chief firearms officer, any firearms officer and any person designated under section 100 of the Firearms Act;

(i) a person employed by the Bank of Canada or the Royal Canadian Mint who is responsible for the security of its facilities; or

(j) a person employed by any federal agency or body, other than a person employed in the federal public administration, who is responsible for the security of that agency’s or body’s facilities and is prescribed to be a public officer.

1995, c. 39, s. 139; 2003, c. 8, s. 7, c. 22, s. 224(E); 2023, c. 32, s. 12.

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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Individuals acting for police force, Canadian Forces and visiting forces

117.08 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, but subject to section 117.1 [exception to exempted persons], no individual is guilty of an offence under this Act or the Firearms Act by reason only that the individual

(a) possesses a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device, any prohibited ammunition or an explosive substance,

(b) manufactures or transfers, or offers to manufacture or transfer, a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device, any ammunition or any prohibited ammunition,

(c) exports or imports a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device or any prohibited ammunition,

(d) exports or imports a component or part designed exclusively for use in the manufacture of or assembly into an automatic firearm,

(e) alters a firearm so that it is capable of, or manufactures or assembles any firearm with intent to produce a firearm that is capable of, discharging projectiles in rapid succession during one pressure of the trigger,

(f) fails to report the loss, theft or finding of any firearm, prohibited weapon, restricted weapon, prohibited device, ammunition, prohibited ammunition or explosive substance or the destruction of any such thing, or

(g) alters a serial number on a firearm,

if the individual does so on behalf of, and under the authority of, a police force, the Canadian Forces, a visiting force, within the meaning of section 2 of the Visiting Forces Act, or a department of the Government of Canada or of a province.

1995, c. 39, s. 139.

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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Employees of business with licence

117.09 (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, but subject to section 117.1 [exception to exempted persons], no individual who is the holder of a licence to possess and acquire restricted firearms and who is employed by a business as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Firearms Act that itself is the holder of a licence that authorizes the business to carry out specified activities in relation to prohibited firearms, prohibited weapons, prohibited devices or prohibited ammunition is guilty of an offence under this Act or the Firearms Act by reason only that the individual, in the course of the individual’s duties or employment in relation to those specified activities,

(a) possesses a prohibited firearm, a prohibited weapon, a prohibited device or any prohibited ammunition;

(b) manufactures or transfers, or offers to manufacture or transfer, a prohibited weapon, a prohibited device or any prohibited ammunition;

(c) alters a firearm so that it is capable of, or manufactures or assembles any firearm with intent to produce a firearm that is capable of, discharging projectiles in rapid succession during one pressure of the trigger; or

(d) alters a serial number on a firearm.

Employees of business with licence

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, but subject to section 117.1 [exception to exempted persons], no individual who is employed by a business as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Firearms Act that itself is the holder of a licence is guilty of an offence under this Act or the Firearms Act by reason only that the individual, in the course of the individual’s duties or employment, possesses, manufactures or transfers, or offers to manufacture or transfer, a partially manufactured barrelled weapon that, in its unfinished state, is not a barrelled weapon from which any shot, bullet or other projectile can be discharged and that is capable of causing serious bodily injury or death to a person.

Employees of carriers

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, but subject to section 117.1 [exception to exempted persons], no individual who is employed by a carrier, as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Firearms Act, is guilty of an offence under this Act or that Act by reason only that the individual, in the course of the individual’s duties or employment, possesses any firearm, cross-bow, prohibited weapon, restricted weapon, prohibited device, ammunition or prohibited ammunition or transfers, or offers to transfer any such thing.

Employees of museums handling functioning imitation antique firearm

(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, but subject to section 117.1 [exception to exempted persons], no individual who is employed by a museum as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Firearms Act that itself is the holder of a licence is guilty of an offence under this Act or the Firearms Act by reason only that the individual, in the course of the individual’s duties or employment, possesses or transfers a firearm that is designed or intended to exactly resemble, or to resemble with near precision, an antique firearm if the individual has been trained to handle and use such a firearm.

Employees of museums handling firearms generally

(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, but subject to section 117.1 [exception to exempted persons], no individual who is employed by a museum as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Firearms Act that itself is the holder of a licence is guilty of an offence under this Act or the Firearms Act by reason only that the individual possesses or transfers a firearm in the course of the individual’s duties or employment if the individual is designated, by name, by a provincial minister within the meaning of subsection 2(1) of the Firearms Act.

Public safety

(6) A provincial minister shall not designate an individual for the purpose of subsection (5) [exempted persons to firearms rules – museums] where it is not desirable, in the interests of the safety of any person, to designate the individual.

Conditions

(7) A provincial minister may attach to a designation referred to in subsection (5) [exempted persons to firearms rules – museums] any reasonable condition that the provincial minister considers desirable in the particular circumstances and in the interests of the safety of any person.
1995, c. 39, s. 139.
[annotation(s) added]

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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Restriction

117.1 Sections 117.07 to 117.09 [exempted persons to firearms rules] do not apply if the public officer or the individual is subject to a prohibition order and acts contrary to that order or to an authorization or a licence issued under the authority of an order made under subsection 113(1) [lifting prohibition order for sustenance or employment].
1995, c. 39, s. 139.

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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Preclearance Officers

Preclearance officers

117.071 Despite any other provision of this Act, but subject to section 117.1 [exception to exempted persons], no preclearance officer, as defined in section 5 of the Preclearance Act, 2016, is guilty of an offence under this Act or the Firearms Act by reason only that the preclearance officer

(a) possesses a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device or any prohibited ammunition in the course of or for the purpose of their duties or employment;

(b) transfers or offers to transfer a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device, any ammunition or any prohibited ammunition in the course of their duties or employment;

(c) exports or imports a firearm, a prohibited weapon, a restricted weapon, a prohibited device or any prohibited ammunition in the course of their duties or employment; or

(d) fails to report the loss, theft or finding of any firearm, prohibited weapon, restricted weapon, prohibited device, ammunition, prohibited ammunition or explosive substance that occurs in the course of their duties or employment or the destruction of any such thing in the course of their duties or employment.

2017, c. 27, s. 61.
[annotation(s) added]

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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Designated Amnesty

Amnesty period

117.14 (1) The Governor in Council may, by order, declare for any purpose referred to in subsection (2) [amnesty period – reliance] any period as an amnesty period with respect to any weapon, prohibited device, prohibited ammunition, explosive substance or component or part designed exclusively for use in the manufacture of or assembly into an automatic firearm.

Purposes of amnesty period

(2) An order made under subsection (1) [amnesty period] may declare an amnesty period for the purpose of

(a) permitting any person in possession of any thing to which the order relates to do anything provided in the order, including, without restricting the generality of the foregoing, delivering the thing to a peace officer, a firearms officer or a chief firearms officer, registering it, destroying it or otherwise disposing of it; or

(b) permitting alterations to be made to any prohibited firearm, prohibited weapon, prohibited device or prohibited ammunition to which the order relates so that it no longer qualifies as a prohibited firearm, a prohibited weapon, a prohibited device or prohibited ammunition, as the case may be.

Reliance on amnesty period

(3) No person who, during an amnesty period declared by an order made under subsection (1) [amnesty period] and for a purpose described in the order, does anything provided for in the order, is, by reason only of the fact that the person did that thing, guilty of an offence under this Part.

Proceedings are a nullity

(4) Any proceedings taken under this Part against any person for anything done by the person in reliance of this section are a nullity.
1995, c. 39, s. 139.
[annotation(s) added]

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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