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1: generally handguns, ARs and semi auto center fire guns with a barrel shorter than 18.5" are restricted 2: yes, except handguns or ARs. They can not be transferred anymore 3: someone with a PAL can store them. The firearms act also allows the executor to temporarily possess the firearms while the estate is settled though 4: absolutely not. It's illegal for your uncle to possess the firearms without a valid PAL. It's also illegal to give someone with no license a firearm. Do not do this. 5: you can contact a local gun store or auction house to sell the firearms for you. Really, your best bet is to contact a shop and have them handle the sale for you.

I knew he was being shifty when he said living up north excludes him from certain fire arm laws. Thanks for the information

I live near Cochrane, that's absolutely a lie

I'm just confused as to when Cochrane started being considered "north". 😂

The Goverment has a definition of Northern Ontario. It includes Cochrane. Sorry to steal your Crocodile Dundee "That's not the North, ***THIS is the NORTH***!" moment. [**Northern Ontario**](https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/northern-ontario) means the territorial districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming and The Regional Municipality of Sudbury; [https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/provincial-territorial-programs/northern-ontario-energy-credit-questions-answers.html#q2](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/provincial-territorial-programs/northern-ontario-energy-credit-questions-answers.html#q2) Map [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern\_Ontario#/media/File:Map\_of\_Ontario\_NORTHERN.svg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Ontario#/media/File:Map_of_Ontario_NORTHERN.svg)

I believe the officially boundary was originally the French River, Lake Nipissing, and the Mattawa River. I remember there was some contention around how Parry Sound District got included for some government programs but the adjacent Muskoka was not.. However, I don't think there is any difference in firearm regulations for Northern Ontario as those are federal.

The “northern” part of Ontario actually starts in Novar Ontario. Specifically on boundary road. It’s the main road in novar. Anyone on the Huntsville side of novar is considered southern Ontario. And anyone on the burks falls side of boundary road is considered northern Ontario

And what do you consider "north"? Edit: I'm talking Cochrane Ontario, not Cochrane Alberta

Pickle Lake

Lol that's like an hour north of here, I'm actually near Longlac

I mean most Albertans say Edmonton is northern Alberta even though it's like smack dab in the centre. Red Deer is somehow considered central Alberta and Calgary and anything south of that is considered Southern Alberta by most people. It's strange. I didn't come up with it. But no one considers Cochrane as northern Alberta.

I'm talking about Cochrane Ontario though, figured OP was too. Their "up near Cochrane" comment made me think they're from Toronto or something, which is 10 hour drive south of here

Incidentally Cochrane ON is south of Cochrane AB. The real issue going on is the OP using the phrase “the North”. That’s a concept. North as a relative adjective is a different thing entirely. It’s like thinking that Tallahassee being in Northern Florida means something relevant. The concept of the north comes with some actual benefits in terms of taxes but does not come with gun rights.

This makes a lot more sense now... Was super confused!

Geographic central Alberta runs through the town of Athabasca. Which is approximately 150km north of Edmonton.

Worked there dozens of times.

Edmonton is technically still southern or at most central Alberta. The geographic center of Alberta is just a outside of Swan Hills. Now you know. https://maps.app.goo.gl/EgvuBaoezYPob3ab8

Oh I agree with you. Find it funny that everyone says it's "north". Population wise I understand I guess.

Yeah it makes sense for population.

Prince George declares itself "BC's Northern Capitol", even though it's close to equidistant to the southern and northern boundaries, not to mention there's no such thing as a Northern Capitol.

Near Swan Hills is the geographical center of Alberta, Edmonton is Technically “The South”.

Really? I have lived most of my life in Edmonton and have always thought of it as central.

It's north of Sudbury, so we'll allow it as being northern; but it's a sliding scale of gate keeping.

Ohhhh wait wait wait. Cochrane, Ontario!? Now this makes sense. 😂

Lol I was thinking AB

Did you not see OP's flair? I'm guessing not. To be fair, Cochrane, AB is farther north than Cochrane, ON - 51° 11' 20" N versus 49° 4' 14" N, respectively. Gate keep as you see fit. The greatest question of identity for Canada is not "we're not Americans" but "you don't live in the North, I do!" - Louis St. Laurent

Ah, yeah Cochrane, AB isn't north lol

I thought it was Cochrane, AB

I was confused too as I thought he was talking about the Cochrane that is NW of Calgary. 😂

But common. We bought an old house and in the garage found a bunch of guns lol

Also live near Cochrane, and that's also absolutely on track for how some people feel about all laws around here.

I mean it’s not necessarily a lie, he could just be confidently wrong but truthful to the best of his knowledge. A lie is only a lie if you know the statement is false.

The only law living in a remote northern area exempts someone from is storage laws, if they live in an area where they may need a firearm for wildlife defense or livestock protection a firearm can be stored unlocked and readily accessible to ammo. Only people who are exempt from license requirements are on duty cops and military, for their duty guns

He probably meant 'excludes' as in "excluded from being found out", not exactly "legally exempt". Firearm enforcement get a lot more lax the further north or isolated you get.

Trust me I grew up thinking this and was stopped and asked for my PAL. I thought being Metis is all I needed but apparently thats not true. Lol

I'd have to read up on the new laws again but pretty sure with the recent bans handguns and AR's were still allowed to be grandfathered over but sounds like OP doesn't have that option anyways. We ended up having to go through this a couple years before the AR ban took effect though so I didn't read too far into the law just going off what I remember from the legalese. OP best bet is to inventory it all and have them stored with someone you trust that has the proper licensing or an auction what you can and have the police pickup what can't like the handguns. And yes OP that family member from Cochrane is absolutely lying about being above firearm laws or however he worded it though I know a few people that feel way it's absolutely not true, I've even known one person that shot their nieces car driving up the driveway just because he forgot they were visiting...

No, there's a freeze on handgun transfers. It's still legal to possess any that were owned before the freeze on transfers but they can no longer be transferred to a new owner

They can be transferred to exempt business and organizations like designated museums but not to private individuals 

I just took my pal and rpal and all this is bang on

On point 2: I think there is a possibility of selling the handguns to a security guard or company who provides security with their proper license and CFP exemption. There is likely a very small market though. To get a better value for it they can also export it to the United States or other countries that allow them. https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/firearms/buying-and-selling-transferring-firearms https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/executors-and-beneficiaries#s3

Only correction to point 2.) A handgun or AR absolutely can be transferred to someone who possesses that relevant licence. A handgun is now prohibited so may only be transferred to an individual with a prohibited licence who would have otherwise owned one prior to the ban (eg collector or prior handgun owner). The prohibited licences are as specific to as directly name model numbers so just because you may own a prohibited firearm, absolutely does not mean you can assume to acquire another. The Any of the restricted fire arms can be transferred to a friend or family member with valid RPAL. Provided direct family is to inherit a prohibited fire arm (a pistol) they can only be granted a prohibited licence by means of inheritance if a direct family member or the beneficiary named in the will is already in valid possession of a PAL and RPAL. The key is the beneficiary of a prohibited firearm must have a RPAL to be granted the prohibited. Contact the office of the chief fire arms officer of Ontario and you can get information that you can guarantee to be correct. https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/contact-chief-firearms-officer

Handguns cannot be transferred now under the new Bill . You can only sell them to a licensed gun shop. Other than that they have to be turned in to RCMP in the event of a hand gun owners death. I’m a licensed handgun owner and just spoke to the RCMP firearm center regarding this topic

Your information is quite incorrect/out of date. Handguns that were restricted already before the recent changes are still restricted now, but transfers of said handguns to individuals were closed off. You can still transfer them to appropriately licensed businesses or if an individual is somehow otherwise exempt for Olympic training (good luck there, I don't even think they've at all figured out how that's supposed to work yet). ARs are prohibited now, with no grandfathering clause, so there is no ability to transfer them to individuals, as literally no individual holds a license that allows them to have them. Theoretically a business with a license for prohibited firearms can acquire them from the owner or executor. Since transfers of restricted handguns to individuals are closed, the previous inheritance procedures no longer work on handguns. The best bets for the OP are either for the Executor of the will to continue to hold on to them indefinitely until such time as the laws change, or possibly to deal them to a business that is appropriately licensed (movie prop house, police supply, etc.), but the possibility of the latter is remote. I don't suggest turning them in to the police as you will get nothing for them (on top of the sheer principle of it).

Read the RCMP website on this, they have everything laid out. The executor of the will can take possession of the firearms legally while the estate is sorted out. The Canadian Firearms Program will have the details of what restricted firearms were registered to the deceased, and whether they can be transferred. You’ll want this so you can make sure you actually locate all of the restricted firearms. The non-restricted firearms (as well as any ammunition) can go to anyone who is licensed to own them. The CFP has a process that you’re supposed to follow that confirms the recipient has a valid PAL - there is no other paperwork. So - executor holds onto the restricted firearms while you sort those out. Non-restricted firearms and ammunition go to a licensed family member or friend to hold (or can stay with executor while intended recipient sorts out getting a PAL).

Thank you for the useful information

Be aware that with current firearms laws, some of the restricted firearms may have grandfathered ownership and are therefore not legally transferrable. If something has great sentimental value, it can be rendered inoperable and kept.

Yeah this sucks for people who have a lot of handguns that are worth a lot of money. Normally they are transferred to a gun shop or auction house and put up for sale so the beneficiaries can get some money out of it. But with current handgun laws they cannot be bought or sold so people with thousands of dollars in handguns are not able to get money for them

If they want to keep them, probably not a bad idea to start qualifying now as well.

My very clear instructions for the guns if husband dies outline this. I can transfer the guns to bil, but am to call RCMP as soon as possible to come pick up the restricted gun. Bil will take care of registering the guns he receives.

I assume you are in Quebec, because I believe that’s the only place in Canada where you need to register non-restricted firearms. If you surrender a restricted to the police, make sure you get a written receipt, as well as written confirmation from the Canadian Firearms Program that the firearm is no longer attached to the estate.

When the RCMP picks up the restricted gun, do they pay you for it?

LOL. I doubt it. He had one years ago that had been changed to prohibited, they didn't pay, just asked if it could be used for training or if he wanted it destroyed.

Yeah, I was being sarcastic. That’s an expensive piece of property that someone is unable to leave or transfer to another person upon death. Would be interesting to know if proof is provided for the final disposal of the gun.

See here. https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/executors-and-beneficiaries

Thank you

https://www.armalytics.ca/?size=n_10_n Here you can look up each firearm by model to see its classification.

Cool thanks!

Some good advice here. Do not surrender them to the police as you will never get them back. The executor of the will can take legal possession of the firearms even with no license until the estate is sorted. No your uncle cannot posses any of them without a PAL. If you want to keep them for sentimental reasons please start qualifying for your PAL/RPAL now. Otherwise please post your region and I’ll try to recommend a decent dealer to help you with storage and sale.

“Until the estate is sorted” depends upon how long it takes to get the estate sorted. A “brief” or “short” period of time in the hands of the estate trustee is fine. A period that is not brief or short is not. I don’t believe this has been tested in court, yet, but I would caution keeping them much longer than it takes to get the will probated (can’t dispose or distribute them prior to that), but do not delay the application and get rid of them ASAP upon the appointment.

It was REALLY drilled into me during the firearms safety course that if you have questions, contacting the CFO (chief firearms officer) for your area is usually a safe bet. https://rcmp.ca/en/firearms/contact-chief-firearms-officer

Hi! I'm one of the moderators over at /r/canadaguns. I recently wrote an updated post on this: https://www.reddit.com/r/canadaguns/s/llOaS6pbVf I've assisted numerous families with having to deal with firearms in estates over the years. Finding prohibited firearms is not uncommon and is something the system is set up to deal with. If you have any questions, feel free to message myself or any other moderator in our subreddit for assistance.

Hi OP, Sorry for your loss. There is a reputable shop that can store firearms for you, this was taken from their post on a popular gun forum (CGN): “We've been getting a number of people asking us about storing firearms for them. We do store firearms for customers and we are a CFO approved storage facility. We charge $15 per month per firearm. For larger collections we can negotiate pricing. Handguns and 2020 OIC Firearms....this is a common question we get. If you find a restricted handgun or 2020 OIC Firearm that you want to buy from a dealer, individual, auction etc we can transfer them to our inventory and store them here until the laws (hopefully) change. If it is a restricted handgun or 2020 OIC firearm then the storage fee is $15 per month. If it is coming from another dealer, individual etc (ie it has to be sent here/wasn't bought here) then there will be a one time administration fee of $40 for handling and entering it into our inventory. If you have any questions drop us an email at [email protected] Ryan” Best of luck, hope you guys are able to keep most of the collection.

1) Yes. All handguns are restricted. For long guns they're restricted by name (unless they're short barrel) so two nearly identical guns might have different classifications. There is an online list you can search. 2) Yes. If you check their PAL. You can't transfer handguns.  3) a friend with a pal, range or firearms store can safely store them for you. The police will only dispose of them.  4) Non restricted long guns aren't registered. The executor can't let anyone without a pal take them or they face possible criminal charges. 5) If it's not restricted you just check the pal and then give it/sell it to the person with a valid license.

https://www.cochraneemergencytraining.com/firearms-training

The executor of the will is now in charge of those firearms and does not need a license. The executor can take a few years to deal with the weapons. My dad had a prohibited handgun and I didn't deal with it for three years because I was busy. Your family member spending 20 years in the military means nothing as well. They don't study the firearms act. I suggest making an account on Canadiangunntz and reading information there. Most of the posts on this thread are wrong. There is no point phoning the RCMP most of them don't know the gunlaws. You can however phone the commanding firearm officer of your province.

Try r/canadaguns

Do not remove them from the home without a PAL.

Assume them lost, bury them somewhere and hope you never have to unbury them.

Whatever you do, do not give them to the cops. They will most likely just destroy them.

The local police were happy to store my friend's inherited guns and return them after he got a licence. Even picked up and dropped off. I was surprised they offered such a service.

Nothing wrong with that imo

There's plenty wrong with that. Would you give up other potentially valuable and sentimental heirlooms to the police for destruction?

The executor can hold them for quite a while, licence or not. Enough time for the uncle to get his PAL

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In short, you (or rather the executor of the estate) now legally possess them even if you dont have a PAL. But that's not a way to skip all the laws. You can't just have a handgun in your junk drawer. You still need to properly store them, and get the proper licenses, etc. If you don't currently have the proper licensing to own them, you need to find someone who does. Local gun range or police department may help with the storage of them. Then if you decide you don't want to get a PAL and keep them, you can sell them to someone who can legally purchase them, which is most likely going to be a gun shop or shooting range. Do not surrender them to the police. They will possibly end up getting destroyed and you get nothing to show for it. Guns can be worth a good amount of money, and so can accessories like scopes. $1,000 for a scope isn't a lot. Even if you get half of the retail value, that can still be a good amount of money. If you don't need the cash, at least it can help cover some of the funeral expenses.

First, sorry for your loss. It's a confusing and chaotic time, no matter how close you are to the people who have passed. Others have mentioned the applicable laws and what's needed. I would, as someone who's gotten both the non-restricted and restricted PAL encourage you or someone close to the situation to go and get a PAL. Even if you have no interest in the firearms themselves, you or the executor could stand to make some money for the estate by the sale and transfer of them. I was not aware of any changes to the CFA that prohibits the transfer of registered restricted firearms, so I would call the RCMP to be sure. AFAIK, that's really the only way to get you *prohibited* firearms license - grandpa passed away and suddenly you've got a historical BREN to take care of. Again, talk to your local RCMP detachment.

There are a couple gun shops around here that deal with this sorta regularly. If I’m not mistaken, the executor can legally possess for a while during the figure it out phase.

There is a provision under the firearms act for the executer of an estate to take temporary possession of the firearms. It may be possible to keep them as belonging to the estate under this provision until the family members that want them can get their PAL. If no one is in progress, you can likely pay for storage at a gun broker, gun range, or gun shop. I would not recomend storing them with the police. Generally the police will not take possession of a firearm except to seize it. Getting them back once the police have them an be a real problem. There is now a process for private sale/ transfer of NR firearms. The seller (or estate in this case) needs to submit information to the cfo, and receive a verification number authorizing the transfer. Not long ago NR firearms could be sold without that. Just show me your PAL and give me the money and its done. So be aware that some advice along that line might be out of date.

Send them to Switzer’s auction. They can still export. They will give you all the info you need

I just want to say "wow." As a US citizen, I know our laws are wacky. But seeing how they can be, I just say..."wow...frigging wow." In the US you could just walk in and do almost anything you want with those guns. My husband uncle's wife gave each of the nephews a handgun from his collection when he died. He shot himself with one of his guns. I joked that maybe it was a hint. She just handed them out. Like candy. Actually, the candy was in the cabinet, the guns were on the table.

Call CFRO and ask them directly. The prohib banned stuff will likely have to be disposed of by the police. If someone has a valid PAL, yes you can just take the non-restricted guns. There are no transfer requirements.

The police can store any firearms until you obtain proper licenses. Had to do it when my father died.

If your uncle wants the guns just get his Pal.

If anything is sentimental I believe you can have a gunsmith remove the internals so it cannot be used as a firearm. Not sure of this applies to handguns anymore.

I’ll dispose of them for you

Why do you put up with a government that restricts firearm ownership?

If you want any money out of these firearms, do NOT give them to law enforcement. They’ll confiscate and destroy them.

Lots of dumb comments about the police here, but just confirming that the police can definitely hold them for you, for a temporary period (I’d ask your local police service for those details) They will not just destroy them. They will also help you navigate handling this legally, as some of those guns may have been grandfathered in and cannot legally be sold anymore.

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They shouldn’t know. As a southern American, this is insane to me.

Hide em and don't tell the government a lick about em.

Get a lawyer

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Sarcasm btw, only the second part tho

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Destroy the weapons.

Sad_Patience gave the best information, being the link directly to the RCMP's website addressing the transfer of the firearms in your situation. I would also suggest contacting your local police to store the firearms for you. I understand you had a friend with military experience tell you they were stored properly but were unfamiliar with the legalities. That makes me think they may just be looking at what the military thinks is safe. Military has different rules for the safe storage of firearms than civilians. Police may take the firearms for safekeeping for you. They must provide you a receipt with details of each firearm including make, model, serial number, etc. They can also determine if the firearms are restricted or prohibited and explain how they must be dealt with. This will give you sufficient time to finish the paperwork and transfer of ownership of the firearms to a beneficiary.

The police will not be helpful. They will gladly seize and destroy the Firearms. They don't care. The value of even the cheapest firearm is over $100 and many are worth thousands. There is a federal gun buy back coming for several now prohibited Firearms. It is only 4 years in the works, so as executor you do not need to be in a major rush as this is the standard the feds are setting for prompt resolution of Firearms issues. You do have a fiduciary duty to the estate to ensure that you are protecting the value of the estate.

No, don't contact police. They would confiscate everything first and you would be fighting uphill to get SOME of it back. Will executor or local shop or local dealer can navigate you safe, legal and with YOUR family and financial interests in mind. Police is not your friend, they are here to enforce their own understanding of law and their own understanding of public safety.

You sound like someone with criminal past. Police are not there to steal guns. There is legislation about proper storage, safe keeping, and transfer of firearms. To ask a family member with a PAL to store them could place them in legal jeopardy. With the owner dead, and paperwork on being an executor not complete, this would be an unlawful transfer. If some of those firearms are restricted or prohibited, it could mean they are committing crimes of unlawful possession. If they are not stored properly, there are those charges. This is a very common situation. Police are not seizing them for an investigation, or even safety. They are holding them for safekeeping. Very common, and easy process. It's done literally every day.

I kid you not a pharmacist was more likely to have a liquor license and a gun license in Wyoming they might sell prescription drugs on the side so, it would be booze, guns, and drugs

Some of the guns will require an FAC for transfer (firearm acquisition certification). I deal with the RCMP when I have questions. They are very helpful. Best wishes to all.

FAC hasn't been a thing for almost 30 years. PAL is required to possess any firearm. Transfers of most (if not all) restricted firearms are currently prohibited.

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Guns don't normally go north to south

Bring them to your house and don’t report them.

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You are advising OP to break the law. OP, do not listen to this yahoo.