new way to get an antique status letter wtf?

Funny thing, I called the cfc a few weeks ago to ask the FRT number of a webley mk-1, and the lady told me I am not allowed to posses an antique firearm without first obtaining the RCMP letter! I didn't have time to argue with her but it seems like this new system is designed to discourage people from getting the letters.
 
Why does the letter in the OP read like a 7 year old wrote it? Who's working at the CFC these days that sends communications like that? I'm assuming its a cut and paste, with all due respect and apologies to the OP if its simply a hastily transcribed version.

I'm thinking - ESL. It is hard to understand...

oops, BrotherRockeye beat me to that ESL comment.
 
I'm now drifting towards making my own antique certificates, basically a copy of antique law with the details on the specific gun, IE serial numbers, proof marks etc.
That will work, and maybe even better than a letter, since you are providing the LEO with what the law actually states, along with proof that you have an antique.
 
That said, I'm not a fan of this system. I'm now drifting towards making my own antique certificates, basically a copy of antique law with the details on the specific gun, IE serial numbers, proof marks etc.

Could you post an example if you have one? I'm not getting anymore letters, but plan to get more antiques and would like a system to log that info so it is available if required in certain situations.

Some manufacturers like Colt will print you letters but they are around $100. Are there any antique dealers that make letters you can get for guns you never purchased from them?
 
i emailed them for clarification and this is the garbage they emailed back
this is the revolver in question

A WESSON & HARRINGTON NO. 3 5 SHOT 32RF REVOLVER. Sn. 14###. Nickel plated with rosewood grips and in near mint condition, excellent bore. 2 ¼’ barrel, 6 ¾” overall length, circa 1879
Mister ######,

We don't know yet if the firearm will be recognize as an antique.
Therefor you have to apply for a registration for you firearm. The
registration will be reviewed by a technologist and they will confirmed
the antique status if so.

If you nedd more information you can e-mail the technologist department
at cfrftd@cfc-cafc.gc.ca.

J'ai remarqué que vous avez inscrit merci à la fin peut-être préférez
vous avoir l'information en français.

Pour l'instant l'arme n'est pas reconnue comme étant antique ou
historique. Hors vous devez faire une demande d'enregistrement, les
technologues vérifiront l'arme et confirmeront le statut d'Historique
s'il y a lieu.

Vous pouvez communiquer avec le services spécialisés de soutien en
matière d'armes à feu par courriel au cfrftd@cfc-cafc.gc.ca.

Espérant avoir répondu à votre question.

Bonne journée
 
There are other resources that tell you when a firearm was made. For example, the Winchester 1885 has a serial number chart found in various books and on the web that will give you a breakdown of what serial numbers were produced when. For early S&W top breaks, there is 'Smith & Wesson American Model'. I'm sure there are specialty books for a variety of firearms that will provide dates of manufacture linked to serial number.
 
the RCMP letters even say right on them this letter is made up with information provided by the letter requester, something like that.

So how good thats gona be in the feild i dont know.
Some photocopys from fladermans guide of your guns info and a copy of the Antique firearm laws of Canada would or should be Better than them RCMP letters.
I really think we need to do our own thing here more.

Im doing my own mix of info package, will it do any good? well i hope i never have to find out.

mark i think your right i'll do up my own research and attach it with the antique status regulation
 
Funny thing, I called the cfc a few weeks ago to ask the FRT number of a webley mk-1, and the lady told me I am not allowed to posses an antique firearm without first obtaining the RCMP letter! I didn't have time to argue with her but it seems like this new system is designed to discourage people from getting the letters.

100% on the money
 
They (CFC/RCMP)should update their website where it currently clearly states in capitalized letters that you don't need registration for antiques.

Honestly, there are quite a few knowledgeable people(experts even) on this board where we could clearly network and generate our own documentation. I have no further need for these silly civil servants. We own the same books they do :) Let's form an historical antique firearm association(it would look good on the letterhead).
 
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Could you post an example if you have one? I'm not getting anymore letters, but plan to get more antiques and would like a system to log that info so it is available if required in certain situations.

Some manufacturers like Colt will print you letters but they are around $100. Are there any antique dealers that make letters you can get for guns you never purchased from them?

Easy enough to make them yourself. PM me, I've got a layout I use.

i emailed them for clarification and this is the garbage they emailed back
this is the revolver in question

A WESSON & HARRINGTON NO. 3 5 SHOT 32RF REVOLVER. Sn. 14###. Nickel plated with rosewood grips and in near mint condition, excellent bore. 2 ¼’ barrel, 6 ¾” overall length, circa 1879
Mister ######,

We don't know yet if the firearm will be recognize as an antique.
Therefor you have to apply for a registration for you firearm. The
registration will be reviewed by a technologist and they will confirmed
the antique status if so.

If you nedd more information you can e-mail the technologist department
at cfrftd@cfc-cafc.gc.ca.

J'ai remarqué que vous avez inscrit merci à la fin peut-être préférez
vous avoir l'information en français.

Pour l'instant l'arme n'est pas reconnue comme étant antique ou
historique. Hors vous devez faire une demande d'enregistrement, les
technologues vérifiront l'arme et confirmeront le statut d'Historique
s'il y a lieu.

Vous pouvez communiquer avec le services spécialisés de soutien en
matière d'armes à feu par courriel au cfrftd@cfc-cafc.gc.ca.

Espérant avoir répondu à votre question.

Bonne journée

Hahahaa - clearly a "not my job" individual. I think it depends on the individual, some seem to be ok with giving the letter if there is no direct evidence but it fulfills all the requirements and there is proof that a similar gun with similar characteristics was made pre-1898. Others won't even talk to you unless it's engraved in black letters 40 feet high that it's pre-1898.


Why would they not want people getting letters? Seems backwards compared to how gun control works.

They tell you to register it as restricted, or in some cases turn it in to the police if it would otherwise be prohib. Their goal is to have them registered as restricted and subject to the limitations of them. A letter would void that.
 
.........Their goal is to have them registered as restricted and subject to the limitations of them. A letter would void that.

Interesting that even if it is their objective, it contravenes everything currently in publication. Even the letter requirement seems to be some local bureaucrats idea of a way of getting around the, "you don't need to register antiques" directives currently in place.

The whole scenario smells like garbage day in Toronto.
 
Interesting that even if it is their objective, it contravenes everything currently in publication. Even the letter requirement seems to be some local bureaucrats idea of a way of getting around the, "you don't need to register antiques" directives currently in place.

The whole scenario smells like garbage day in Toronto.

I am a little guilty of voicing my suspicions, but I can't come up with another good reason why they would make getting antique status paperwork so difficult, and then advice someone to just register it as a restricted "in the meantime". Add that to the fact that they're already asking for all your personal info to get an antique letter, then once it's on file avoiding sending the letter and there's a pretty strong case for them trying to find a way to kill the antique status without ever touching the law.

Same way that they're going after new guns like the T97 by having the RCMP rule them easily convertable, rather than having to make them prohibited by name.

Also, if anyone can help me, over the last six months or so most of the government/cfc/rcmp hosted links that had the original laws regarding antique regulations have gone dead, along with the accurate storage and transportation regulations and the full firearms act, which is now only available in parts all over the place from what I can tell.... All of the government hosted regulations now identify antiques, but none say that antique's are not considered firearms, like they used to.

As my european grandfather used to say, "I stink a rat."
 
The time is likely required to process background checks or maybe someone has moved into ass cover mode. They had been essentially running an appraisal/research service for free. No one likes to see the hard working tax payer get free service from thier employees.

Essentially the letters are not required by anyone anyway so no skin off anyones back. I know it makes people feel better to have one but if an Officer was predisposed to sieze the gun (due to not being familiar with the regs or his detachment's interp of them) he'd do it anyway letter or no letter. If someone suspects an unregistered/prohibited firearm would they not also suspect a forged letter? Especially when it has someone elses name on it/is photcopied?

Your certainty that the arm in question meets the requirements of the regs is all that is needed.
 
I just finished prinitng up copies of my own version of Antique Status letters. Here is a scan of one, I even printed them on 'antique bond' paper I got from Staples. It's basically a cut & paste from the cfc(RCMP) website.

*this is the final version*

wloi6v.jpg
 
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Keep in mind the CFC was not controlled by the RCMP till a few years ago if that.
And now were seeing changes.
Theres alot more new people are getting into this likeing the non registration aspect the RCMP see all the handguns pouring thru customs i can only think there looking at ways to stop this or at least slow it down.
But its not working as customs skip to the beat of of there own Drum :)
My recent contacts with customs has been positive.
They are much better trained than before and know about that FRT disc.
From my own recent experience i would say we should forget about applying for the RCMP letters.
Im not gona bother unless its some weird hard to prove antique.

I like your home made letter 41 colt.

Id like something like that, now im useing the two page info from the RCMP link and printing that.
 
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