DEACTIVATION GUIDE
Deactivation involves removing parts or portions of parts from a firearm and adding pins and welds so that the firearm can no longer chamber or fire ammunition.
DEACTIVATING SMALL ARMS OF CALIBRE 20 MM OR LESS
Semi-Automatic, Full Automatic, Selective Fire, and Converted Firearms
1. A hardened steel blind pin of bore diameter or larger must be force-fitted through the barrel at the chamber, and where practical, simultaneously through the frame or receiver, to prevent chambering of ammunition. Furthermore, the blind pin must be welded in place so that the exposed end of the pin is completely covered by weld. This strength and hardness of the weld must be similar to that of the metal used in the construction of the firearm. In the case of firearms having a calibre greater than 12.7 mm (.5 inch), the pin can be smaller in diameter than 12.7 mm. In the case of multi-barrelled firearms, all barrels must be pinned, using as many pins as necessary to block all chambers.
2. The barrel must be welded to the frame or receiver to prevent replacement.
3. The breech face or portion of the breech bolt which supports the cartridge must be removed or drilled out to a diameter at least as large as the base of the cartridge, so that the bolt can no longer support the cartridge.
4. The receiver must be welded closed to prevent replacement of the breech bolt.
5. In the case of firearms designed to support full-automatic fire, the trigger mechanism must be rendered unusable. Any trigger mechanism part or component that is necessary for full-automatic fire must be destroyed by cutting or grinding and welded in place to prevent replacement.
Rifles, Shotguns, and Handguns Other Than Revolvers
6. The barrel, bolt, and frame or receiver must be modified as in section "Semi-Automatic, Full Automatic, Selective Fire, and Converted Firearms."
7. The bolt, if present as a separate piece, must be welded to the frame or receiver to prevent replacement.
Revolvers, Revolving Rifles and Shotguns, and Cap and Ball Revolvers
8. The barrel and cylinder must be blocked by a hardened steel pin of bore diameter that traverses the entire length of the barrel and cylinder. The pin must be welded in place at the muzzle, barrel/cylinder gap and except for muzzle-loading firearms, at the breech end of the frame. The strength and hardness of the welds must be similar to that of the firearm.
Black Powder Rifles and Shotguns
9. The barrel must be blocked immediately forward of the flash hole using a blind pin in the manner described in paragraph 8.
10. The flash hole must be welded closed. In the case of percussion guns, the nipple may be welded closed and then welded to the barrel to prevent replacement.
Magazines
11. The magazine follower must be welded to the interior of the magazine to prevent loading of ammunition.
12. The body of the magazine must be welded to the frame or receiver to prevent removal or replacement.
Firearms of Unusual Design or Construction
13. Allowances are made to vary the procedures outlined in the first section "Deactivating Small Arms of Calibre 20 mm or Less," if the firearm is made of unusual substances or is of an unusual design. However, any variation in the procedure must accomplish the same goals as the original procedures.
APPENDIX C
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DEACTIVATION GUIDE ADDITIONAL EXAMINATION INFORMATION
The solidity and hardness of the welds
Welds must be inspected to ensure they are sufficient. Tack welds or less secure forms of attachment such as brazing or soldering are not generally acceptable. Inferior welding methods can normally be detected by a difference in colour or obvious lack of strength or hardness.
The pins used to block the weapon's barrel
A blind pin is one for which the access hole does not completely perforate both sides of the barrel. Consequently, the weld securing the pin should appear on only one side of the barrel and the other end of the pin should not be visible. The size of the pin (bore diameter) can generally be observed from either the breech or muzzle end of the barrel by looking down the interior of the barrel to ensure no light appears at the other end.
How to verify that the locking part on the breech face of the weapon has been enlarged to a diameter at least equal to the diameter of the cartridge.
The breech face-the portion of the breech bolt that supports the cartridge-must be disabled. The front of the breech bolt must be cut off or drilled out to a diameter larger than the head of the cartridge. The diameter of the cartridge head is roughly the same as that of the rear of the chamber in the barrel.
How to inspect the trigger group given that the deactivation guide requires that the receiver be welded closed to prevent replacement of the breech bolt (only applicable to firearms that support automatic fire).
If the trigger mechanism is visible, its component parts must appear unserviceable and be welded in place. Unfortunately, the trigger mechanism is often not visible unless you disassemble the firearm. However, there is normally some observable sign on the exterior of the firearm (i.e., the selector or trigger is welded in place, or the trigger does not move, or if it does, it does not appear to be connected to the interior mechanism).
Is a firearm sufficiently deactivated if a welded or pinned part is loose or moveable by hand?
The Deactivation Guide is designed to permit movement of interior parts such as the breech bolt. Consequently, the presence of moving parts does not necessarily indicate insufficient deactivation.
Large-capacity cartridge magazines
If a magazine does not qualify as a deactivated magazine when imported with a shipment of deactivated firearms (e.g., it is not attached to the weapon), it must be examined to determine if it is a large-capacity cartridge magazine before it can be classified as a prohibited weapon. Magazines for military-type firearms that have been properly converted under the provisions of the Large Capacity Cartridge Magazine Regulations may be imported with an import permit under the Export and Import Permits Act. However, in instances where the magazine has been properly welded so that it cannot hold any rounds (zero capacity), an import permit is not required.
