Six Years of Prohibitions: A Timeline of Canada's Assault-Style Firearms Bans (2020–2026)

If you have been trying to keep track of which firearms were prohibited when, which amnesty applies to you, and which deadlines have passed, you are not alone. Since May 2020, the federal rules have changed through three sets of regulations, three amnesty orders and repeated amendments to them, a major bill, a multi-phase compensation program, and litigation that is now before the Supreme Court of Canada.

This article sets out the key dates in order, with the instrument or source for each, and then explains what the sequence means for owners today. Every date below was checked against the Canada Gazette, the Justice Laws website, Public Safety Canada or court records.

The Timeline at a Glance

Date	Event	Source
May 1, 2020	About 1,500 models and their variants prohibited; first amnesty order made, to run to April 30, 2022	SOR/2020-96; SOR/2020-97
March 2022	2020 amnesty extended to October 30, 2023 and its scope expanded	SOR/2022-45
May 30, 2022	Bill C-21 introduced in the House of Commons	Parliament of Canada
October 21, 2022	National handgun transfer freeze takes effect by regulation	SOR/2022-219
February 3, 2023	Government withdraws proposed C-21 amendments G-4 and G-46	Public Safety Canada
October 2023	2020 amnesty extended to October 30, 2025	SOR/2023-223
October 30, 2023	Federal Court dismisses six judicial review applications	Parker v. Canada (AG), 2023 FC 1419
December 15, 2023	Bill C-21 receives Royal Assent	S.C. 2023, c. 32
May 2024	2020 amnesty amended to allow delivery to mobile collection units	SOR/2024-84
November 2024 – April 2025	Compensation program, first business phase	Public Safety Canada
December 5, 2024	324 further makes and models (104 families) prohibited; second amnesty order made	SOR/2024-248; SOR/2024-249
March 7, 2025	179 further makes and models (40 families) prohibited; third amnesty order made	SOR/2025-86; SOR/2025-87
April 15, 2025	Federal Court of Appeal dismisses appeals	CCFR v. Canada (AG), 2025 FCA 82
September 23, 2025	Individual compensation pilot begins in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia	Public Safety Canada
October 10, 2025	All three amnesty orders aligned to end October 30, 2026; carrier shipping for deactivation permitted	SOR/2025-208
January 19 – March 31, 2026	National declaration period for individual owners	Public Safety Canada
March 19, 2026	Supreme Court of Canada grants leave in four appeals	SCC files 41858–41861
April 23 – June 4, 2026	Business compensation phase re-opens and closes	Public Safety Canada
June 5–9, 2026	All three amnesties extended to 90 days after the SCC appeals end	SOR/2026-114
November 9, 2026	Scheduled start of SCC hearing	SCC docket

2020: The First Prohibition

May 1, 2020: SOR/2020-96

On May 1, 2020, Cabinet made regulations (SOR/2020-96, Order in Council P.C. 2020-298) that added nine families of firearms, “and any variants or modified versions of them,” to the list of prohibited firearms, along with any firearm with a bore of 20 mm or greater or a muzzle energy above 10,000 joules. The Federal Court of Appeal later described the effect as prohibiting over 1,500 firearms previously legal for licensed owners. The regulations took effect immediately and were not pre-published.

May 1, 2020: The first amnesty order

The same day, the Order Declaring an Amnesty Period (2020) (SOR/2020-97) was made under section 117.14 of the Criminal Code. It protected licensed owners from criminal liability for possession while they came into compliance, and originally ran until April 30, 2022.

2022–2023: Extensions, the Handgun Freeze and C-21

• March 2022. SOR/2022-45 extended the 2020 amnesty to October 30, 2023 and expanded the protection.
• May 30, 2022. The government introduced Bill C-21.
• October 21, 2022. A national freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns by individuals took effect by regulation (SOR/2022-219), ahead of C-21.
• February 3, 2023. The government withdrew two proposed committee amendments to C-21 (G-4 and G-46) that would have written an expanded list and definition of prohibited firearms into the bill, after concerns that some hunting firearms would be captured.
• October 2023. SOR/2023-223 extended the 2020 amnesty to October 30, 2025.
• October 30, 2023. The Federal Court dismissed the six challenges to the 2020 regulations in Parker v. Canada (Attorney General), 2023 FC 1419.
• December 15, 2023. C-21 received Royal Assent. It codified the handgun freeze and added a prospective technical definition of “prohibited firearm” for centre-fire semi-automatic long guns originally designed with a detachable magazine of six or more rounds and designed and manufactured on or after that date. Other parts came into force later. Our article on Bill C-21 explains the staged coming-into-force dates.

2024–2025: Compensation Begins and More Prohibitions

• May 2024. SOR/2024-84 amended the 2020 amnesty to allow delivery to mobile collection units.
• November 2024 to April 2025. The first business phase of the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program ran. Public Safety Canada reported that more than 12,000 firearms were collected and destroyed in that phase.
• December 5, 2024. Regulations (SOR/2024-248) prohibited 104 families comprising 324 unique makes and models, including current and future variants. A second amnesty order (SOR/2024-249) was made for owners who lawfully possessed those firearms on that date.
• March 7, 2025. Regulations (SOR/2025-86) prohibited 40 families comprising 179 unique makes and models. According to the regulatory statement, the government had convened an advisory panel in November 2024, which reported on January 31, 2025, and that report informed the proposal. A third amnesty order (SOR/2025-87) was made the same day.
• April 15, 2025. The Federal Court of Appeal dismissed the appeals from the Federal Court in Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights v. Canada (Attorney General), 2025 FCA 82.
• September 23, 2025. The individual phase of the compensation program began with a pilot in Cape Breton, run with the Cape Breton Regional Police.
• October 10, 2025. SOR/2025-208 aligned all three amnesty orders to end on October 30, 2026, and added options including delivery to a licensed carrier for shipment to a deactivation business.

By this point, the government stated that the three sets of regulations together captured over 2,500 makes and models.

2026: Declarations, Leave and a New Amnesty End Date

• January 19 to March 31, 2026. The national declaration period for individual owners ran. Public Safety Canada reported that more than 67,000 firearms were declared by 37,869 owners, a figure it later updated to over 68,000 firearms. Owners who did not declare are no longer eligible for compensation.
• March 19, 2026. The Supreme Court of Canada granted leave to appeal in four related files (41858, 41859, 41860 and 41861) brought by the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights and other owners, businesses and clubs. Our article on what the Supreme Court is deciding covers the issues.
• April 23 to June 4, 2026. The business phase re-opened to cover firearms from all three prohibitions and closed on June 4. Public Safety reported 61,900 firearms claimed in that phase.
• June 5, 2026. SOR/2026-114 was registered, amending all three amnesty orders so that each ends on the 90th day after the four Supreme Court appeals are terminated. The extension was announced on June 9, 2026. It did not reverse the prohibition, reclassify any firearm, or widen what the amnesty allows. See our article on the extension.
• November 9, 2026. The Supreme Court’s docket lists the appeals as scheduled to be heard together beginning this date.

Why the Sequence Matters

Which amnesty applies depends on the prohibition date

Each amnesty order protects owners who lawfully possessed the covered firearms on a specific date: May 1, 2020, December 5, 2024 or March 7, 2025. If you acquired a firearm after it was prohibited, the amnesty does not cover you. Knowing which regulation your firearm falls under tells you which order to read.

The amnesty now ends on one date for everyone

Since June 2026, all three orders end on the same day, 90 days after the Supreme Court appeals are terminated. That is a single, shared deadline, but not a fixed calendar date yet.

The compensation windows have closed

The individual declaration window closed March 31, 2026, and the business phase closed June 4, 2026. Owners who did not declare still have the amnesty, but their remaining options are deactivation at their own expense, surrender to police without compensation, or lawful export.

The amnesty is narrow

Throughout the six years, the amnesty has allowed possession, storage and transport only for the purposes listed in the orders, such as deactivation, surrender or export. It has never covered range use or private sales. A long amnesty is not a return to normal use.

What This Means for You

• Identify which regulation covers each firearm you own and the date it was prohibited.
• Confirm you were in lawful possession with a valid licence on that date, and that your licence remains valid now.
• If you declared, keep your documentation and follow program instructions.
• If you did not declare, plan your disposal option before the amnesty ends.
• Watch for the Supreme Court decision, which will set the final 90-day window.

How Mor Fisher Can Help

Jaime Mor and Peter Kott advise firearms owners, estates and businesses on the prohibitions, the amnesty orders and the compensation program, and defend owners who face licence revocation or criminal charges. Our prohibited firearms amnesty and buyback page explains how we approach these files, including for executors dealing with prohibited firearms in an estate.

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If you are unsure where your firearms fit in this timeline, we can help you sort it out. Contact Mor Fisher LLP at 705-721-6642 or through our contact page. We can confirm which prohibition and amnesty order applies, what the amnesty allows in the meantime, and what options remain before it ends.