Tracer rounds

A good bit of research, however the regulations only allow you to buy, sell, use, and possess safety cartridges. Which, as you note, exclude tracer from their definition.

That's the ERD's position. If it were up to me we'd be able to buy Raufoss rounds.
 
An amusing little Freudian slip there that I'm sure some would agree with! :p

Oops, my mistake!

All kidding aside, I think that tracers are the best way to demonstrate the very real danger of ricochets to new shooters.
All shooters should fire a few over water or flat ground. In the name of safety, of course.
 
Oops, my mistake!

All kidding aside, I think that tracers are the best way to demonstrate the very real danger of ricochets to new shooters.
All shooters should fire a few over water or flat ground. In the name of safety, of course.
They're definitely a valuable training aid. It's too bad the legislation is written as it is. An effort to change the law might help though.
 
All kidding aside, I think that tracers are the best way to demonstrate the very real danger of ricochets to new shooters.
All shooters should fire a few over water or flat ground. In the name of safety, of course.

They're definitely a valuable training aid. It's too bad the legislation is written as it is. An effort to change the law might help though.

So who would we lean on?
It seems you have the ear of someone near the top.
 
Conclusion:
as of right now how our laws are written, you can legally own straight tracer rounds but cannot import new ones without a license (good luck). but come next year a new explosives act is going to ban them from non military/ law enforcement and their subcontracted employees that hold a permit.

But...The criminal code says

Possession without lawful excuse
82. (1) Every person who, without lawful excuse, the proof of which lies on the person, makes or has in the possession or under the care or control of the person any explosive substance is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
“process vehicle”[Repealed, SOR/2009-125, s. 1]

Your lawful excuse is given by the explosives regulations (part 131) which says...

131. Subject to any provincial law or regulation or any municipal by-law, a person may, if he takes reasonable precautions against accidents, keep in his possession on his premises, for private use and not for sale,

(a) a quantity of Division 2 of Class 7 fireworks, not exceeding 10 kilograms gross weight, that were sold to him in accordance with these Regulations;


(b) such quantity of safety cartridges as he may reasonably require for a rifle, revolver or shotgun that he may lawfully possess and use; and


(c) any quantity of Christmas crackers and caps for toy guns.

A safety cartridge is defined as....

“safety cartridge”
“safety cartridge” means a cartridge for any shotgun, gun, rifle, pistol, revolver and industrial gun the case of which can be extracted after firing and that is so closed as to prevent any explosion in one cartridge being communicated to another cartridge but does not include tracer, incendiary, high explosive or other similar military type cartridges; (cartouche de sûreté);

There's your problem....
 
AP is only illegal if its 'handgun' ammo

(
a) any cartridge that is capable of being discharged from a commonly available semi-automatic handgun or revolver and that is manufactured or assembled with a projectile that is designed, manufactured, or altered so as to be capable of penetrating body armour, including KTW, THV and 5.7 x 28 mm P-90 cartridges (the latter applies only to Military SS.90 and SS.190 types of cartridges);

but with the way they are making handguns for more and more calibers...... its going be harder to keep getting AP
 
not really. going back to what I said earlier.... "safety cartridges" only matters as a point on importation under your personal exemption for the requirement of an explosives import license. As tracers and AP rounds are excluded from the category of safety cartridge, you cannot import them without a license. ownership and domestic purchase is a different matter. Right now only D19 deals with what is a prohibited item in canada in regards to munitions. (this will change when the new explosives act comes into force)

You may want to go back and read my post a little more slowly. The charge will come from the criminal code, not the explosives act. The charge will be possessing explosives. The only relief is the exemption provided from the explosives regulations for safety cartridges (the second quote in my post), which does not include tracers.

That said I don't much care either way, it doesn't seem like there is much interest in enforcement as of yet, but people really ought to understand that the advice that these are legal to possess is not accurate.
 
You may want to go back and read my post a little more slowly. The charge will come from the criminal code, not the explosives act. The charge will be possessing explosives. The only relief is the exemption provided from the explosives regulations for safety cartridges (the second quote in my post), which does not include tracers.
Bingo.

tootall said:
So who would we lean on?
It seems you have the ear of someone near the top.
Jean-Luc Arpin would probably be the man to speak to, though the last time I discussed the issue it was with Pavel Zraly. I'd say you'd be fighting a VERY uphill battle however, and I'm not nearly a big enough player in the industry yet to be leading the charge. CanAm would be much better suited to lobby for changes or exemptions in the ammunition department. I deal mainly with entertainment explosives and special effects, plus a few specialty items.
 
you keep quoting just having explosives is a criminal offense, thats wrong. Ammunition has no requirement other then age listed, same with fireworks; Hell you can possess dynamite if you have a reason to do so (like blowing up stumps on the farm) you just need to submit a request as per the explosives act and pay the fee.
Criminal Code of Canada
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/FullText.html

Using explosives
Possession without lawful excuse

82. (1) Every person who, without lawful excuse, the proof of which lies on the person, makes or has in the possession or under the care or control of the person any explosive substance is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Explosives Act
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/E-17/FullText.html

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

6. Except as authorized under this Act and subject to such exemptions as may be provided by regulation, no person shall
(a) make or manufacture explosives either wholly or in part except in a licensed factory;
(b) sell any authorized explosive unless that person is the operator of a licensed factory or licensed magazine and is authorized to sell explosives;
(c) store any explosive in a magazine that is not a licensed magazine;
(d) have in his possession any explosive; or
(e) carry on, except in a licensed factory, any of the following processes, namely,
(i) dividing into its component parts, or otherwise breaking up or unmaking, any explosive,
(ii) making fit for use any damaged explosive, or
(iii) remaking, altering or repairing any explosive.

I've been in the explosives industry for 17 years. What's your experience?
 
I really have no idea if tracers are legal or not. You have to be a Lawyer to sift through and understand all the Regs. and the vague definitions. All I know is that no one seems to have any big effort to try to conviscate them. This shows how confusing our Firearms Laws and Regs are.

Nobody told me that now you are a firearms owner you must read the Explosives Act! I would have thought that it would have been dealers responsibility to follow the Act and sell legal product.The problem though is that Tracers have been in civvy hands in Canada for many many years so I would think that if they became illegal at some point; some Gov or LEO Official would have very publicly told us so.
 
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