Purchasing a firearm online or from individual?

[JoeKerr]

So I am a newb, but I did search first. I found a couple of threads that were slightly on point, but nothing exact (though I'm sure there must be, I guess maybe my search criteria was wrong).

My question is this:

What is the process needed to purchase a non restricted firearm online (or in person from an individual, not a business where they would walk you through everything).

I know I need my PAL, and it seems there needs to be a transfer done from seller to buyer through the CFO office? Or was the transfer only necessary when the long gun registry was in effect? If still doing transfer, any idea how long that process takes?

It seems there's some etiquette that I found on such sales (ie. seller starts transfer when negotiating complete, once buyer sees transfer complete, he sends money, and then when money received, seller ships gun). Is that a fair understanding of the current process / what everyone does?

Anything else I need to know to protect myself when it comes to doing online deals? I just want to make sure when I buy, the gun is in my name / legal ownership - school me!


Also - if I wanted to purchase a restricted (and I will have that PAL as probably everyone else does), is the process much the same except I'd need an ATT to pick it up / bring it home?

Thanks!

 

[Stevebot-7]

Nonrestricted firearms no longer need to be transferred or registered in Canada. In Quebec the onus is upon the buyer to register and transfer the firearm or they can be held in contempt of court.

For a nonrestricted purchase the seller needs to have no reasonable doubt of the buyer possessing a license for the firearm. This generally comes down to showing them the card, if meeting in person. For online transactions the standard is different from one person to another. The minimum would be asking for their name and PAL number.

Have a healthy caution for online deals through. This might include talking to the person on the phone, or requesting a tracking number, or asking for additional information and pictures/vidoes of the firearm, or even doing a search to see if they're using a picture from the internet.
Some people will request a scan of your PAL card, providing this is optional. Even if you trust the seller, a third party might access their email or mail and gain access to the scan of your information. It would be easy for someone to then use the scan to pretend to be you.

In general, treat online transactions as you would from a store. The buyer provides funds and then the item is shipped. If you ship the gun before they pay you might never get the money.

For restricted, or prohibited if you are one of the blessed few, the seller will call the CFC and initiate the transfer, usually upon receipt to the funds. Usually an ATT to the post office is required for the seller to ship the firearm to you, unless they can get a door to door service. The buyer will require an ATT to pick up the firearm, though they will not require an ATT if the firearm is being delivered to their house.