How can a UK citizen get a rifle in Canada?

Question

Purely for use in wilderness areas as protection.

Is it possible for a UK citizen to purchase/rent a rifle/shotgun for these purposes?

Can a member of the UK take the CFSC?

Please no answers discussing bear sprays and fences, I'm just after info about obtaining rifles/shotguns.

Answer 1

Here's info about that from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police:



"In general, the only firearms allowed for wilderness protection are non-restricted rifles and shotguns. The following individuals, provided they are Canadian residents and have a licence that allows them to possess restricted firearms, may be authorized to carry a handgun or restricted long gun for wilderness protection:



-licensed professional trappers, and

-individuals who need protection from wild animals while working at their lawful occupation, most often in a remote wilderness location."

Link - http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/wild-sauvage-eng.htm



Nobody likes armed foreigners frolicking through their forests.

Canadians are no different in that regard.



You want something for wildlife protection, buy yourself a bear banger.

Bear Bangers are pen launchers that fire a variety of cartridges:

-Ones that explode with a sound equivalent to a shotgun blast; screamers that make a whistling noise that scares the bejeezus out of wildlife; and flares in case you get into trouble.



Google 'bear bangers" and you'll find all sorts of info online, such as these examples:



Link - http://kananaskisblog.com/bear-bangers/2009/

Link - http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/HikingCamping/HealthSafety/PRD~4007-144/tru-flare-bear-bangers.jsp

Link - http://www.bkkenterprises.com/products.asp?cat=42



I'm Canadian. I've been coast to coast to coast through all ten Provinces and 3 Territories.

I've never needed a gun for wilderness protection.

And only used a bear banger once: To scare away a skunk, not to defend myself from bears, wolves, bobcat and cougars.

Trust me when I say a bear banger's all you actually need.

And personally, I don't trust foreigners with even those. Damn fool idiots playing with flares could accidentally start a forest fire or something.

Answer 2

If you are a landed immigrant with residency permission, then you should be able to apply for a gun permit, which likely includes the CFSC, in the province of your residency. It might take longer than for a citizen to complete the background checks but I think it is possible.



If you are not planning on hunting yourself, and you are going into wilderness areas, then you might want to consider hiring a guide who would have his own gun. You would need a hunting licence to protect yourself from poaching charges if a bear did attack and you killed it in self defence. A guide would already have the licence.



For detailed information, contact the Fish and Game or Fish and Wildlife department of the province in which you are planning your wilderness excursion. Here is the web site for Ontario.



http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/index.html

Answer 3

protection against what exactly?



Even with a bullet in it, a bear or cougar can do some signifcant damage to a UK citizen.



I've travelled wilderness areas for years and have stayed for several months in wilderness areas. No attacks by rabid wolves; several sightings of bears, one very close up in a berry patch; cougar tracks but no cougar. Lots of squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, possums, deer, moose (watch out for them - they have uncertain tempers) beaver, hawks, owls, porcupines but none of them were carrying firearms, so I was fairly safe.



And if you manage to kill anything you won't have the proper permits and will end up in trouble anyway. Much better to forget the gun.

Answer 4

Your memory of what you swore to seems to have become a little dim. The naturalization oath at no time mentions any foreign "invasion." A simple lack of documentation does not convert immigrants into "enemies." You did swear to defend and protect the Constitution. The Constitution gives you the right to state your opinions. It also gives others the right to conclude that you are a racist and a bigot, and to say so,

Answer 5

I recently bought this system http://www.downloadita.it/r/rd.asp?gid=423. It teaches how to protect yourself and your family in case of violent situations or unexpected attacks from thiefs. Sometimes having a gun is just not enough.

Have a nice day

Answer 6

Go to Vegas instead. You can rent a machine gun I believe. Certainly there's a gun range in town where you can fire off AK47s and dozens of different types of handguns and automatics without needing any kind of licence.