Bill C-21 Explained: What Changed for Ontario Firearms Owners

If you hold a PAL or RPAL in Ontario, Bill C-21 changed the rules you live under, but not all at once and not always in the way the headlines suggested. The bill received Royal Assent on December 15, 2023 as An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms), S.C. 2023, c. 32. Some provisions took effect that day. Others came into force months later by order in council, and at least one key piece is still not in force.

This article walks through what C-21 actually changed, when each change took effect, and what it did not change. We have checked the section numbers below against the current consolidated Criminal Code and Firearms Act.

A Quick Timeline

Date	What took effect
October 21, 2022	Handgun transfer freeze by regulation (SOR/2022-219), before C-21 passed
December 15, 2023	Royal Assent. Handgun freeze codified; red-flag orders; new “prohibited firearm” definition for newly designed firearms; ghost-gun changes; higher maximum penalties; magazine transfer licence requirement
January 2024 (30 days after assent)	Offence of possessing or distributing computer data for manufacturing firearms
September 1, 2024	Licence required to import magazines and ammunition, and to transfer or import firearm parts
March 7, 2025	”Yellow flag” licence suspension regime
April 4, 2025	Mandatory refusal and revocation of licences for domestic violence and stalking
Not yet in force	Definition of “protection order” and related reporting provisions

The Handgun Freeze

The federal government first froze most handgun transfers by regulation on October 21, 2022. C-21 then put the freeze into the Firearms Act. Section 12.2 now says, simply, that a registration certificate for a handgun must not be issued to an individual. Since a handgun cannot be lawfully acquired without a registration certificate, individuals can no longer buy, sell, receive or import handguns in Canada.

What the freeze does not do is take away handguns already lawfully registered. If you own registered handguns, you may keep them, use them at approved ranges, and transport them under your authorization to transport, as before.

There are limited exceptions. The freeze does not apply to an individual who holds an authorization to carry a handgun, or to a sport shooter who meets the prescribed criteria and annually provides a letter from a provincial or national sport shooting governing body confirming they train, compete or coach in a handgun discipline on the Olympic or Paralympic programme. The regulations and the letter requirement are detailed, so check them before assuming you qualify.

Red-Flag Orders: Emergency Prohibition and Limitations Orders

C-21 created two new court orders, in force since Royal Assent, that any person can apply for. Before C-21, applications of this kind under the Criminal Code were made by police or firearms officers.

Emergency prohibition order (section 110.1)

Under section 110.1 of the Criminal Code, any person may apply, without notice to the other person, to a provincial court judge for an order prohibiting someone from possessing firearms, ammunition and other listed items, if they believe on reasonable grounds that it is not desirable for that person’s own safety or the safety of others that they possess them. If the judge is satisfied that an order should be made without delay, the judge must make an order for up to 30 days. The hearing can be held in private, and the judge can make further orders restricting access to information that identifies the applicant (sections 110.2 and 110.3).

The order can be followed by a full application under section 111, heard on notice, which can result in a prohibition of up to five years.

Emergency limitations on access order (section 117.0101)

Under section 117.0101, any person may apply without notice for an order imposing conditions on someone’s firearms where that person lives with or associates with someone who is prohibited from possessing firearms, and the prohibited person would or might have access to them. The order lasts up to 30 days, and the judge must impose the least intrusive conditions that achieve the purpose.

For owners, the practical point is that a red-flag order can be made before you have a chance to respond, and police can search for and seize firearms under it. If you are served with one, get advice quickly about the return date and the section 111 process. Our page on firearms seizure and forfeiture hearings explains the related seizure and return provisions.

Yellow Flag: Temporary Licence Suspension (March 7, 2025)

Since March 7, 2025, section 69.1 of the Firearms Act requires a chief firearms officer who has reasonable grounds to suspect, based on information received from any person (including a medical or mental health professional), that a licence holder is no longer eligible, to suspend the holder’s authorization to use, acquire and import firearms for up to 30 days.

The CFO must give written notice with reasons and the nature of the information relied on, although information that could endanger someone’s safety need not be disclosed. The suspension must end early if the grounds no longer exist. A licence holder who uses, acquires or imports a firearm while suspended can have the licence revoked under section 70.

Domestic Violence and Licence Revocation (April 4, 2025)

Since April 4, 2025, the Firearms Act contains mandatory rules tied to intimate partner and family violence:

• Section 6.1 makes an individual ineligible for a licence if they have been convicted of an offence in which violence was used, threatened or attempted against an intimate partner or family member, or if a CFO has reasonable grounds to suspect they may have engaged in an act of domestic violence or stalking.
• Section 70.1 requires a CFO who has reasonable grounds to suspect a licence holder may have engaged in domestic violence or stalking to revoke the licence within 24 hours. “Domestic violence” is defined broadly and does not require a criminal conviction.
• Section 70.3 allows a CFO, in prescribed circumstances, to issue a conditional licence to a person who needs a firearm to hunt or trap to sustain themselves or their family.

C-21 also provides for automatic revocation when a person becomes subject to a protection order (section 70.2). However, the definition of “protection order” in the Act is listed among the amendments not yet in force on the Justice Laws website as of September 2026.

These rules connect directly to criminal charges. A domestic assault allegation can now lead to licence revocation even before the criminal case is decided. See our articles on domestic charges and your firearms and licence revocation.

Ghost Guns and New Offences

C-21 added several offences aimed at illegally made firearms and parts:

• The definition of “prohibited firearm” in section 84(1) of the Criminal Code now includes any unlawfully manufactured firearm, regardless of the method of manufacture.
• Section 102.1 makes it an offence to possess or access computer data for a firearm or prohibited device that can be used with a 3D printer, metal milling machine or similar system to manufacture a firearm unlawfully, and to distribute such data knowing it is intended for that purpose. The maximum penalty on indictment is 10 years. This offence came into force 30 days after Royal Assent.
• “Firearm part” is now defined as a barrel for a firearm, a slide for a handgun, and any other prescribed part. Parts are now covered by the trafficking, possession-for-trafficking and import/export offences.
• Section 104.1 makes it an offence to alter a cartridge magazine so that it becomes a prohibited device, punishable by up to five years on indictment.

Higher Maximum Penalties for Trafficking and Smuggling

C-21 raised the maximum sentence from 10 to 14 years for weapons trafficking (section 99), possession for the purpose of trafficking (section 100), and importing or exporting knowing it is unauthorized (section 103). Where the object is a firearm, prohibited device, firearm part or ammunition, those offences also carry mandatory minimum sentences of three years for a first offence and five years for a subsequent offence. Our page on mandatory minimum sentences explains how minimums work more generally.

The New Technical Definition of “Prohibited Firearm”

At Royal Assent, C-21 added a technical definition to section 84(1). A firearm is prohibited if it:

1. is not a handgun;
2. discharges centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner;
3. was originally designed with a detachable cartridge magazine with a capacity of six cartridges or more; and
4. was designed and manufactured on or after the day the provision came into force (December 15, 2023).

This definition is prospective. It applies to new designs, not to firearms already on the market before December 15, 2023. Firearms already in Canada were prohibited, if at all, by the May 2020, December 2024 and March 2025 regulations, which are separate. The test is based on the magazine the firearm was originally designed for, not the pinned magazine it is sold with in Canada.

Magazines

C-21 did not change the existing magazine capacity limits in the classification regulations. It did add licensing controls:

• Since Royal Assent, a cartridge magazine that is not a prohibited device may be transferred only to an individual who holds a firearms licence (Firearms Act, s. 25(2)).
• Since September 1, 2024, individuals must hold and produce a valid licence to import ammunition or cartridge magazines (s. 37), and firearm parts may be transferred only to licence holders (s. 25.1).
• Altering a magazine to exceed the legal limit is now a specific offence (s. 104.1 of the Code).

What C-21 Did Not Change

It helps to be clear about what stayed the same:

• Non-restricted rifles and shotguns in common use for hunting were not prohibited by C-21. The government withdrew proposed committee amendments (known as G-4 and G-46) on February 3, 2023 after concerns that they would capture hunting firearms.
• Registered handguns already lawfully owned remain lawful to possess and use.
• Registration of non-restricted firearms was not reintroduced.
• Section 117.15(2), the limit on Cabinet’s power to prohibit firearms reasonable for hunting or sporting purposes, was not amended. That provision is at the centre of the Supreme Court challenge to the 2020 prohibition.
• The basic structure of licensing, including the section 5 public safety eligibility test and the right to refer a refusal or revocation to a provincial court judge under section 74, remains in place, although C-21 changed some of the details.

What This Means for You

• If you own handguns, you may keep and use them, but you cannot buy, sell or transfer them to another individual.
• Any person can now seek a red-flag order against you, and a CFO must suspend or revoke your licence in defined circumstances without waiting for a criminal conviction.
• A domestic allegation carries licensing consequences on its own.
• Importing magazines or ammunition, or acquiring barrels or slides, now requires a valid licence.
• Firearms already lawfully owned were not reclassified by C-21 itself.

How Mor Fisher Can Help

Jaime Mor and Peter Kott act for firearms owners on red-flag and section 111 applications, yellow-flag suspensions, licence revocations and section 74 references, and on criminal charges under Part III of the Criminal Code. Peter holds an RPAL, which helps when the issue is practical, such as storage, transport or what a CFO is likely to look for. Our firearms regulatory compliance page describes the advisory side of that work.

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If a C-21 provision has been used against you, or you want to understand how it applies before it does, contact us. Reach Mor Fisher LLP at 705-721-6642 or through our contact page. Suspensions, emergency orders and revocations move on short timelines, and early advice can make a real difference to the record the decision-maker considers.