Gun education is a requirement of firearm ownership in Canada. But Conservation Officers who patrol the notorious sport shooting hotspot of Stave Lake, BC, often witness regulations that are either intentionally or unintentionally skirted.

UPDATE. Two corrections have been made to the above video:

1) The first version of this video cited a statistic indicating that 1/5 Canadians own at least one firearm. The corrected version says more than 2 million valid firearm licences in Canada. (RCMP, 2014)

2) We have also removed the text that read “In general, the maximum capacity of a long-gun magazine is five rounds.” For exceptions to this capacity limit, visit this government page.



We are grateful to the B.C. Conservation officers who shared their time with us, and to the officials who reviewed the video we captured. Canadian gun regulations are nuanced and complex, and this short video could not present or distill them in their entirety. For the latest information on the laws and regulations that govern firearms in Canada, here are some useful links.

In the case of hunting, regulations differ from province-to-province. Check your provincial hunting regulations for up-to-date laws in your area.

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