Mailing a Firearm: What Are the Rules?

The Canadian Firearm Safety Course (CFSC) provides students with ample information about the laws and rules around firearms, including how to safely and legally store, transport, display and handle them.

One area that the course does not specifically cover, however, is shipping firearms by mail. This often comes up when licenced gun owners buy, sell or transfer firearms online. Many retailers and private individuals live a far distance from the other party in a firearms transaction, and shipping is the only cost-effective solution.

For firearms sent within Canada, the most secure method of shipping available from Canada Post is the method advised by the RCMP on their website. All firearms may be shipped using this method – non-restricted, restricted and prohibited. Signature on delivery service is required.

According to Canada Post, Regular Parcel and Expedited Parcel with Proof of Age option are permitted for shipping firearms by mail. Shippers can dispense with the Proof of Age service, and use Signature service instead, if the destination is either a licenced manufacturer/retailer of firearms, or law enforcement.

Canada Post also requires that no ammunition be within the container or package, and that the firearm have a trigger lock or cable lock attached, and the firearm is in a securely locked container. No marking on the outside of the package indicating that a firearm is contained inside are permitted.

For full details on the policies and rules for shipping firearms within Canada by post are found here: Firearms | Canada Post

What if I Want to Ship Outside of Canada?

If you need to ship a firearm outside of Canada, you must comply with federal rules on exports. A summary of these rules is found in Customs D-Memorandum D19-13-2.

Importing a firearm from outside of Canada by mail is acceptable according to the Canada Border Services Agency, even though Canada Post does not allow firearms to be mailed to destinations outside of Canada.

To ship a firearm outside of Canada, the sender must use a licenced carrier and comply with the customs rules for export reporting. In addition, the sender may need to obtain an Export Permit from Global Affairs Canada, and an Import Permit in the country of destination. A licenced firearm carrier or customs broker should be consulted for further advice.

The RCMP website maintains a list of licenced firearms Carriers which is updated from time to time. As of the writing of this post, there were 320 licenced Carriers within and outside of Canada, including major courier companies such as Canpar, Dicom, and Purolator, as well as most major airlines and moving companies.