What Airguns Are Firearms?
Under Canadian law "firearm" means a barrelled weapon from which any
shot, bullet or other projectile can be discharged and that is capable
of causing serious bodily injury (i.e., permanent damage to an
eye) or death to a person, and includes any frame or receiver of such a
barrelled weapon and anything that can be adapted for use as a
firearm. Using just this definition virtually every airgun firing a
lead pellet is a firearm.
However, since 1978 there has been a partial exception for low
powered airguns. Historically, according to the Criminal
Code a pellet gun is a firearm for most purposes of the Firearms
Act only if it is designed or adapted to discharge:
- a pellet at a muzzle velocity of more than 152.4 metres per
second (about 500 feet per second); or
- a pellet which itself is designed or adapted to attain a velocity
of more than 152.4 metres per second.
The Canadian limits The law enforcement interpretation of this
definition has been that low powered airguns do not require
registration nor the owner/purchaser to be licenced. In practice the
legislation has led to the production of very low power airguns
specifically for the Canadian market. Many airguns that are sold
elsewhere in the world would be classified as firearms in Canada and
would require a firearms licence to bring into Canada.
Currently, for the purposes of sections 91 to 95, 99 to 101, 103 to
107 and 117.03 of the criminal code, airguns are deemed not to be
firearms, where it is proved that the weapon is not designed or adapted
to discharge
(i) a shot, bullet or other projectile at a muzzle velocity
exceeding 152.4 m per second or at a muzzle energy exceeding 5.7
Joules, or
(ii) a shot, bullet or other projectile that is designed or adapted
to attain a velocity exceeding 152.4 m per second or an energy
exceeding 5.7 Joules.
In the province of Ontario low power airguns that do not require
registration are classed as "imitation
firearms" and can only be sold to those over the age of 18. As well
there is legislation
in Ontario that classifies airgun pellets as ammunition and requires
that retailers record the identification of all ammunition
purchasers.
For more information about airguns there is an excellent Canadian Airgun Forum.
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