Is there any difference as far as the databases go between firearms licensees and the general public?
Yes.
Holders of valid firearms licences are subject to Continuous Eligibility Screening which recognizes that an individual’s circumstances, including the appropriateness of ongoing firearms possession, change over time. Such screening is a public safety tool which brings high-risk behaviour by firearms owners to the attention of the Chief Firearms Officer for appropriate action. This allows authorities to take appropriate action, as required, including revoking a licence and seizure of firearms. When firearms owners become non-compliant (i.e. do not renew a licence), they are no longer within the ambit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Canadian Firearms Program’s (CFP) jurisdiction. As a result, the Privacy Act, among other legislation, prevents the RCMP from conducting further Continuous Eligibility Screening, thereby withdrawing a meaningful tool that enables the CFP to take pre-emptive measures in dealing with higher-risk firearms owners.
<http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2015/2015-05-20/html/sor-dors104-eng.php>
Registration
SOR/2015-104 May 8, 2015
FIREARMS ACT
Regulations Amending the Firearms Licences Regulations
P.C. 2015-567 May 7, 2015
<http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2015/2015-05-20/html/sor-dors104-eng.php>