Transporting firearms in Calgary without a car

L

litui

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One of my major concerns in going ahead in getting a PAL is that I am not a car owner or driver. I have 3 primary means of getting places in this city: walking, public transit, and cycling. Taxi is an option once in awhile but would be less than ideal for regular trips to the range.

First thing I had to do was check federal law for the appropriate sections (found a couple threads on CGN which were also helpful):

Federal Law

Non-restricted
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/SOR-98-209/page-4.html#anchorbo-ga:s_10
10. (1) An individual may transport a non-restricted firearm only if
(a) except in the case of a muzzle-loading firearm that is being transported between hunting sites, it is unloaded; and
(b) in the case of a muzzle-loading firearm that is being transported between hunting sites, its firing cap or flint is removed.
...
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Restricted
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/SOR-98-209/page-5.html#anchorbo-ga:s_11
11. An individual may transport a restricted firearm only if
(a) it is unloaded;
(b) it is rendered inoperable by means of a secure locking device;
(c) it is in a locked container that is made of an opaque material and is of such strength, construction and nature that it cannot readily be broken open or into or accidentally opened during transportation;
...
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The remainder of each section discusses leaving firearms unattended in vehicles (a person would be an imbucile to leave anything valuable unattended on a bike). No mention of vehicles occurs until that point in the law, which I interpret to mean that walking and cycling are both acceptable means of transporting a firearm.

In summary, both classes of firearm must be kept unloaded and restricted firearms must be rendered inoperable and stored in a sturdy, opaque, locked container. Easily done.

Provincial Law

Perhaps some others on the board can help out with this one, but I did not find anything in Alberta provincial law concerning transport of firearms.

Seems a-okay here.

Municipal Law

City of Calgary disallows the firing of guns within city limits except at authorized ranges, but I didn't think there was any law on the books preventing transport or restricting transport to certain types of vehicles. The bylaws appear to agree:

City Bylaw 20M88
http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/cityclerks/20m88.pdf
8. Unless otherwise lawfully authorized, no person shall convey a firearm, pellet gun, B.B. gun, air gun, or gas operated gun in which a round of ammunition for such a gun or firearm is in the chamber within the City.

9. (1) No person shall discharge a firearm, pellet gun, B.B. gun or a gas powered gun within the City
...
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So as long as it's unloaded (as per Federal law) and I'm not shooting in unauthorized locations within the city, transport by any conveyance should be okay.

The only place things get sticky is in the use of public transit:

Calgary Transit Bylaw 4M81
http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/cityclerks/4m81.pdf
14. (7) No person, other than a Peace Officer, shall carry a firearm while on a transit vehicle.
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I find "carry" to be a little ambiguous, but the intention is very clear: no guns on public transit.

Summary

Barring anything I haven't considered (please inform me if I've missed something), as long as all legal transport requirements are observed:

Legal: walking, cycling
Not legal: public transit

That said, once I get my firearm I have every intention of keeping a copy of the laws with me when transporting by bike or on foot.

While a pistol would be easy enough to transport out of sight, does anyone have recommendations for transport of a rifle without drawing too much unnecessary attention?

UPDATE:

I wanted clarification on transport requirements for non-restricted firearms, so I emailed the Calgary Police and just today received this response from Cst L. John Burke of the Firearm Support Unit:

I have been requested to address your questions that relate to the legal transportation of a non-restricted firearm on a bicycle.

The requirements for transporting a non-restricted firearm on a bicycle are the same as in a motor vehicle. As per the Firearms Act a non-restricted firearm must be unloaded. As you are transporting the firearm and not storing it you are not required by law to have a trigger lock on it. That being said the more precautions you take will only make matters better. My suggestion is to 1) Unload the firearm—mandatory--, 2) Trigger lock or remove the bolt, and 3) Have the firearm in a lockable hard sided firearm case. Suggestions 2 and 3 are above and beyond what is required by the Firearms Act but in the case of firearm safety more is better. If you meet these requirements and you have a valid firearms license and registration you will not be breaking any laws with regards to the transportation of a non-restricted firearm. The likelihood of being stopped by a Police Officer while you are transporting your firearm on a bicycle is very high. If you are seen you can count on being pulled over and spoken to. As I mentioned earlier you are not breaching the transportation requirements but it is not common to see someone on a bicycle with a firearm and for the safety of all persons involved I would imagine you would be stopped and spoken to.

I hope this information is of assistance to you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.

Cst L. John Burke #2890
Firearm Support Unit
Calgary Police Service
Click to expand...

When I transport a non-restricted by bike, I'll be printing this and carrying it with my registration.
 
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Sounds like you have everything figured out!

Nice to see someone doing their own research before coming on here asking the same question that has been answered a million times!

You are well ahead of the crowd my friend! Congratulations on the PAL, and joining up here! There is a wealth of knowledge here!
 
Car, Motorcycle, Taxi, Private Transportation (Hired Driver, Limo, etc), Bicycle, Rollerblade, etc are all good as long as you follow the transportation regulations (trigger locks where appropriate, ATT for restricted, etc etc).

Technically under the FA, the public bus and subway system is acceptable however there are bylaws in 99% of transit systems that prohibit weapons and firearms in the transit system that you can be dinged for. Also not advisable in general as too many sensitive people will jump on you. My father told me stories about back in the day when he used to take it on the bus, even the school bus after class. Different times these days.
 
Mozzer said:
Guitar case
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Thanks. Not a bad idea. Only thing I'd worry about is the whole "why are you transporting a rifle in a guitar case? Are you trying to conceal it?" line of questioning if it ever came up though. Probably not a real issue.

Going to go pistol first and rifle later, so shouldn't matter for awhile.
 
mlehtovaara said:
Sounds like you have everything figured out!

Nice to see someone doing their own research before coming on here asking the same question that has been answered a million times!

You are well ahead of the crowd my friend! Congratulations on the PAL, and joining up here! There is a wealth of knowledge here!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Still waiting on the PAL, but should theoretically be in my hands in the next week or two. Research has been occupying the majority of my non-work time during the wait :D.
 
Transporting a rifle in a guitar case is considered concealing a firearm according to some case law I have read and started a thread about before!

It doesn't matter if you intend to do harm, the only thing that matters is that you tried to conceal the fact you are carrying a gun.

In the case discussed they determined that a gun is indeed a weapon regardless of it's intended use, and that even something as simple as putting a jacket over the gun is considered concealing a weapon.

As soon as you say things like you don't want to draw attention to yourself you are admitting to hiding the fact you are carrying a gun, which translates into concealing a weapon!

Now if you are using a guitar case because you just simply have nothing else to carry a long gun in you might have an argument but it would not be one I'd want to make.

EDIT: Tried to find my old thread but guess it got deleted. I can't remember the case, or the details. Hopefully someone else can, but many didn't believe me anyways. It was pretty controversial, but the case law was there and is precedent!
 
mlehtovaara said:
Transporting a rifle in a guitar case is considered concealing a firearm according to some case law I have read and started a thread about before!

It doesn't matter if you intend to do harm, the only thing that matters is that you tried to conceal the fact you are carrying a gun.

In the case discussed they determined that a gun is indeed a weapon regardless of it's intended use, and that even something as simple as putting a jacket over the gun is considered concealing a weapon.

As soon as you say things like you don't want to draw attention to yourself you are admitting to hiding the fact you are carrying a gun, which translates into concealing a weapon!

Now if you are using a guitar case because you just simply have nothing else to carry a long gun in you might have an argument but it would not be one I'd want to make.
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Fair enough. Branded rifle case it is ;).

edit: It would be nice if there were some accounting in the law for how to legally walk the line between drawing unnecessary attention to yourself while transporting ("HAY GUIZE, I HAVE A GUN!") and all-out concealing. Is wearing a rifle on one's back while cycling carrying a weapon? If I stand it up in my pannier bag am I suddenly not carrying? Very ill defined.
 
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it would help if we knew which range was involved- there MIGHT be a member close enough to you to negate this whole mess- and where you are in the city- quadrant will do, not street adress
 
Get a plane hard gun case of neutral color and put a bunch on music associated stickers, like band names or I heart the symphony ect. It looks like a musical instrument inside. Carry your ammo / mags in a backpack and your good to go. If it makes you feel better maybe lock the case.
 
t-star said:
it would help if we knew which range was involved- there MIGHT be a member close enough to you to negate this whole mess- and where you are in the city- quadrant will do, not street adress
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Hehe, I'm in the Southwest (Mission) but it shouldn't actually be a problem. I'll be applying for membership at the Calgary Shooting Centre as soon as I receive my PAL and I should be able to store two firearms on site according to their membership benefits. I just like to make sure all my bases are covered, especially if I move beyond two firearms down the road... :)

Really it's not that big a mess except for rifles. The law actually tells us to conceal and lock down pistols and tells us how to do it, so there's no legal issue that I can see there.
 
well, i'm no help as i'm already at the edge and live at basically heritage park- just thought there might be somebody-and maybe a long locker would suffice- that way you could keep 1 restricted and one unrestricted
 
I might try dropping by the Edge a bit before CSC opens up (if it's not open by the time I get my membership), but unfortunately it's not in a prime location for non-drivers.
 
Updates re: transport of non-restricted

I've added it to the original post already, but I emailed the Calgary Police asking for clarification on how to legally transport a non-restricted rifle by bicycle within the city. Here's the response I received from the Firearm Support Unit. The emphasis is his:

I have been requested to address your questions that relate to the legal transportation of a non-restricted firearm on a bicycle.

The requirements for transporting a non-restricted firearm on a bicycle are the same as in a motor vehicle. As per the Firearms Act a non-restricted firearm must be unloaded. As you are transporting the firearm and not storing it you are not required by law to have a trigger lock on it. That being said the more precautions you take will only make matters better. My suggestion is to 1) Unload the firearm—mandatory--, 2) Trigger lock or remove the bolt, and 3) Have the firearm in a lockable hard sided firearm case. Suggestions 2 and 3 are above and beyond what is required by the Firearms Act but in the case of firearm safety more is better. If you meet these requirements and you have a valid firearms license and registration you will not be breaking any laws with regards to the transportation of a non-restricted firearm. The likelihood of being stopped by a Police Officer while you are transporting your firearm on a bicycle is very high. If you are seen you can count on being pulled over and spoken to. As I mentioned earlier you are not breaching the transportation requirements but it is not common to see someone on a bicycle with a firearm and for the safety of all persons involved I would imagine you would be stopped and spoken to.

I hope this information is of assistance to you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.

Cst L. John Burke #2890
Firearm Support Unit
Calgary Police Service
Click to expand...

I expected as much and I thanked him for his response.
 
As already noted, very refreshing to see a new member contributing information about unusual topics rather than asking questions about basic matters.
I have not done any research on the matter, but the post that suggests a guitar case amounts to concealing a firearm seems very believable and very Canadian to me.
This shows how far the anti-gun crowd has progressed.
They don't want any one to own a gun, but if you do, don't treat it discreetly. You better announce the fact loudly so that you can be suitably abused for incorrect thinking.
Police have bought into this as witnessed by the advice provided by the CPS rep. When it comes to "firearm safety more is better". It's not the law but do it anyway.
If you had a black case with large neon letters stating "Gun Inside" everyone would be happier; then "for the safety of all persons involved ... you would be stopped and spoken to" (sic).
 
So, the law does not state that unrestricted firearms need to be in a case. so how am i supposed to carry my non-restricted when walking to the transportation? over my shoulder on a sling? if I'm on a bicycle ?
 
I think its a good sign that you're a gun nut when you have more money in guns than in vehicles. Awesome! Calgary does have great public transit, the c Train is so much faster than driving in places.
 
Winnipeg Transit has the same no firearm regs, safe to say this is a general rule for most, if not all, public transit in Canada.
 
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