Making my guns legal for hunting

[Roper]

Hi Ya'll: I have not hunted in 20 years. My hunting licence (card) is still valid as I have kept renewing it every year for fishing licence. When new gun registration laws came in I did not follow through with necessary new regs and my old FAC is of course no longer valid.
I understand that I will need to attend a gun course. Is there one available in the Hamilton/Caledonia region?
BUT - my big question is: I have 4 guns which covered most of my hunting needs. Following completion of a current gun training course - will these guns be legal? Can I simply register the guns and use them?
thanks for the help
Roper

[smallgamer]

Originally Posted by Roper

Hi Ya'll: I have not hunted in 20 years. My hunting licence (card) is still valid as I have kept renewing it every year for fishing licence. When new gun registration laws came in I did not follow through with necessary new regs and my old FAC is of course no longer valid.
I understand that I will need to attend a gun course. Is there one available in the Hamilton/Caledonia region?
BUT - my big question is: I have 4 guns which covered most of my hunting needs. Following completion of a current gun training course - will these guns be legal? Can I simply register the guns and use them?
thanks for the help
Roper

Your guns are legal. They may not have been when the registry existed, but the registry doesn't anymore so you are good to go. You don't have to do a thing. Just be sure they fit the criteria of a non-restricted firearm.

Since you do not have a current PAL (possession and aquisition licence), but possess firearms, you are presently in violation of a federal firearms law and could be charged. Please put these firearms into the possession of someone you trust who has a current PAL and retrieve them when you are licenced. There is no longer a need to transfer the firearms to your trusted friends name, because there no longer is a long gun registry.

So to recap.....place your guns into the possession of a trusted, licenced friend asap. Then get your PAL. Then retrieve your guns. Enjoy.

By the way, you are like millions of other Canadians who did not follow the directions of Bill C-68, so you aren't alone. The government knew this when they killed the long-gun registry.Candice Bergen (Hoeppner previously) who introduced Bill C-19 to kill the registry acknowledged such in my presence just a few weeks ago. But PLEASE get licensed, as licenses are still mandatory.

[onelessarrow]

you can write the test without taking the course. Look up OFAH's web sight for instructors in your area and call one to set up a time to write the test. Easy peasee.

[quickme]

Roper....

Did you previously have a FAC? If so you can apply as a new applicant. They still "may" have your completion of the hunter's safety course on file. This is what happened to me. I had an expired FAC and had to reapply for a PAL. It does take some time so be patient. Mine is in the mail and I applied Sept 10th. I would take Smallgamer's advice! Make sure you don't have your firearms in your house. Have someone you TRUST with a PAL to hold on to them for you. You don't want to lose your firearms.

Nick

[bushwacker]

Can anyone please explain to me why there are PAL's and POL's? I think anyone with a POL FAC? should be given a PAL. The licence should indicate that a person is capable of handling a fire arm, I can't seem to figure out why a person should be able to own X amount of guns and not buy any others? What If a person with a PAL GAVE them another gun? There is no registry so who's to say what they had or have anyhow? It makes very little sense to me. Am I alone?

[mox72]

Originally Posted by smallgamer

Your guns are legal. They may not have been when the registry existed, but the registry doesn't anymore so you are good to go. You don't have to do a thing. Just be sure they fit the criteria of a non-restricted firearm.

Since you do not have a current PAL (possession and aquisition licence), but possess firearms, you are presently in violation of a federal firearms law and could be charged. Please put these firearms into the possession of someone you trust who has a current PAL and retrieve them when you are licenced. There is no longer a need to transfer the firearms to your trusted friends name, because there no longer is a long gun registry.

So to recap.....place your guns into the possession of a trusted, licenced friend asap. Then get your PAL. Then retrieve your guns. Enjoy.

By the way, you are like millions of other Canadians who did not follow the directions of Bill C-68, so you aren't alone. The government knew this when they killed the long-gun registry.Candice Bergen (Hoeppner previously) who introduced Bill C-19 to kill the registry acknowledged such in my presence just a few weeks ago. But PLEASE get licensed, as licenses are still mandatory.

Best possible answer

[Rick Teal]

Originally Posted by bushwacker

Can anyone please explain to me why there are PAL's and POL's? I think anyone with a POL FAC? should be given a PAL. The licence should indicate that a person is capable of handling a fire arm, I can't seem to figure out why a person should be able to own X amount of guns and not buy any others? What If a person with a PAL GAVE them another gun? There is no registry so who's to say what they had or have anyhow? It makes very little sense to me. Am I alone?

I don't believe anyone without an anti-gun agenda has ever said that our current and former (anti) gun laws made any sense.

Originally everyone was supposed to have a PAL. The POL was instituted when they were overwhelmed by the number of PAL applications, and was meant to be a one-time-only stop-gap measure. However, POLs have now been extended several times.

I agree it would make sense to simply convert these to PALs, but I think that's unlikely. I understand its a simple process (now) to challenge the exam, and I'd advise all POL holders who want to acquire new or different firearms to do so.

[Fox]

Originally Posted by bushwacker

Can anyone please explain to me why there are PAL's and POL's? I think anyone with a POL FAC? should be given a PAL. The licence should indicate that a person is capable of handling a fire arm, I can't seem to figure out why a person should be able to own X amount of guns and not buy any others? What If a person with a PAL GAVE them another gun? There is no registry so who's to say what they had or have anyhow? It makes very little sense to me. Am I alone?

A POL was a free grandfather clause system.
If you had guns then you could go and get the POL without doing a course or test during a certain period of time. The POL was for possession only and was good for life.
The PAL is a possession and acquisition license that replaces the old FAC with the possession attached.

The POL was never tested on and therefore never indicated that you were a person capable of handling a firearm just that you had one and since you owned one before the new regulations you would not be tested.

You require either a POL (not available anymore) or a PAL (requires a test, most often after a course has been completed).

[JUDGE]

I was given a POL years ago , They asked me if I intended to purchase another firearm and at that time I said no.
This was in a Mall with the OPP'S before the registry. If I had said yes then I would have received a PAL .
So I had to chalange the test to get a PAL.

[TPM]

Originally Posted by Fox

A POL was a free grandfather clause system.
If you had guns then you could go and get the POL without doing a course or test during a certain period of time. The POL was for possession only and was good for life.
The PAL is a possession and acquisition license that replaces the old FAC with the possession attached.

The POL was never tested on and therefore never indicated that you were a person capable of handling a firearm just that you had one and since you owned one before the new regulations you would not be tested.

You require either a POL (not available anymore) or a PAL (requires a test, most often after a course has been completed).

That is correct. The POL was just a way to grandfather gun owners who had no intention of aquiring more guns. It gave them a licence to legally keep their guns without having to do the course and/or test. It was a limited time offer and you can renew them for life but if a POL is allowed to expire the gun owner has to down down the PAL route in order to stay legal.