There is a lot of misinformation floating around here. People are quoting the old regs, which have been repealed.
The new regulations are
here in full. If you're concerned, give them a read.
I am definitely NOT a lawyer, and am not giving legal advice, but my reading of the
new regulations shows nothing requiring you to store stuff in boxes. I built one anyway, mostly because I started before the regulations changed and because I think it's a really good idea.
All of the specific provisions about storage in the new regulations seem to apply to a 'storage unit', which is described in section 6 as explicitly
NOT a box that sits in a dwelling somewhere.
The new regulations appear to be pretty loose when it comes to unlicensed users. What they do spell out:
- Maximum storage limits for detached dwelling and other dwellings -- I take that to mean 'your house' and ' a house that's shared with other people or families who may not know about what you're doing'. E.g.: an apartment.
- Maximum storage limits based on whether you store your powder in small containers or large containers (you can store a LOT less if you store it in large containers)
- Where to store your stuff- away from source of flame or ignition
- How to store your stuff - don't let people other than
people you have authorized have unlimited access to your stuff - so lock it up in some manner
- How to run your reloading room
- Nobody under the age of 18 unless they are supervised
- Make sure there are measures in place so everyone can GTFO if something goes wrong
- Take precautions to minimize likelihood of things catching fire or going boom
- Label your containers and keep them closed when not in use
- No more than 2 kg of powder within 1 m of your loading area
- No more than 500 g of black powder withing 1 m of your loading area
- Don't make crazy stuff like incendiary rounds
- Don't store more than 150 percussion caps ('primers') in your equipment (e.g.: primer feeds, primer trays, etc.)
Again, all of the restrictions around how a 'storage unit' must be constructed seem to apply only to storage units. My guess is this is because you are storing a whole ton of flammable and potentially explosive stuff in the same area so they need you to be extra careful with construction. Section 6 explicitly describes a storage unit as:
a building, structure, place or container in which explosives are stored and that is not licensed. However, it does not include a dwelling or any structure, place or container in a dwelling.
But, like I said, I am not a lawyer. So read the regs for yourself and come to your own conclusions. Or maybe we can get the NFA to phone up Resources Canada and get a plain English interpretation.
