[mzo]

I have a RPAL and I was target shooting with real steel and hunting before discovering airsoft (so glad I did).

I find the 60% very hard to believe without any supporting source.

Canada is #13 in per capita gun ownership. We have 30.8% gun ownership (source: UN -ODC, Nation Master, etc.) in a country where 80% of the population lives in urban areas, with the majority in 3 major cities (source: Stats Canada), where gun ownership is unpopular.

If anything it seems the majority of people who want guns can own guns in Canada. Perhaps the 60% is indicative of the number of Canadians who have no interest in owning firearms and therefore do not have a licence.

Still I cannot find any faults with Canada’s very easy gun licencing requirements. Though I do find faults with some of the restrictions imposed on licenced gun owners.



Being under 18, (about 20% of the population according to Stats Canada), does not deprive an individual from getting a PAL/RPAL, they just have wait until they are of legal age, as is the case with driving, voting, etc.

If an individual cannot pass the PAL or RPAL test then either they knew nothing about firearms and were not paying attention during the course, or they are lacking in basic logic and understanding, and would hurt themselves if allowed to own a firearm. The PAL/RPAL tests are not difficult, they can be repeated, and comparatively speaking the Ontario driver's licence tests and most high school tests (not even exams) are more difficult than the PAL/RPAL test.

Besides being under the legal age (easily fixed once of legal age) and lacking average intelligence, the only other factors that can prevent a Canadian from receiving their PAL/RPAL is committing an unpardonable violent crime, having an observable serious mental health problem or having a wife that is against guns.

Therefore any Canadian of legal age, with average intelligence, not suffering from a serious mental health issue and who has not committed an unpardonable violent crime can acquire a PAL/RPAL.



It does take up to 3 months to get your licence and you do have to answer some very simple questions about yourself during an RCMP phone interview, but that’s a good thing because if you answer yes to anything like being suicidal or wanting to hurt other people then you should not be allowed to own a gun.

What I find burdensome are all the unnecessary restrictions that gun owners must face after the background check and phone interview. Gun laws like airsoft laws don’t always make sense.