A new report from the RCMP reveals that the number of Canadians holding a government-issued firearms licence reached an all-time high in 2024.In Dec. 2024, there were 2,412,122 Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) holders in Canada, representing a 2.5% increase from 2,352,504 in December 2023.Every province recorded growth, with Alberta and Ontario leading the way, each seeing a 3.3% rise in licence holders. Alberta added 12,006 new PAL holders, while Ontario saw an increase of 22,356.According to TheGunBlog.ca, more Canadian adults now hold a PAL than play hockey. The demographic makeup of licence holders remains largely male — 85% — with 15% being women.Firearms ownership has been deeply embedded in Canadian culture for years, tied to traditions such as hunting, sport shooting, collecting, and self-defence.Some advocates argue that this cultural significance, combined with government restrictions, may be fuelling a growing interest in gun ownership.“More and more people are discovering how enjoyable shooting is as a pastime,” Tony Bernardo, the Executive Director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, told the Western Standard.“You’ve got an increasing movement of young people hunting because they’re trying to provide food for their families that isn’t full of preservatives and hormones.”.Despite a recent Statistics Canada report saying police-reported crime dropped for the first time in 2024 since the COVID-19 pandemic, Bernardo believes that violent crime still plays a major role in the PAL increase“People have realized that the government is not capable of adequately defending you. There’s an old saying, ‘when seconds count, police are minutes away,’” he said.The PAL is the sole licence issued to new adult firearms applicants in Canada.In total, 142,332 adults obtained their first PAL in 2024 — resulting in a net increase of 59,618 licences, significantly above the 10-year average annual gain of about 40,000.Licensing figures show:• 1,598,112 PALs with non-restricted privileges• 775,266 with restricted privileges (up 3.1% from 752,002)• 38,739 with prohibited privileges• 13,505 minor’s licences• 4,033 licensed firearms businesses (excluding museums and carriers)These numbers stand in contrast to the federal Liberal government’s continued efforts to restrict legal gun ownership..A key element of that agenda is the National Firearms Buy-Back Program, introduced in the wake of the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia.That program has faced strong criticism from many sectors. In a recent opinion column for The Globe and Mail, Robyn Urback described it as a “boondoggle,” pointing out that five years after the program was announced, no firearms had been collected from individual licence holders.She went on to say, as of April 30, 2024, “only 12,195 firearms had been turned in by businesses. The program had already cost $67.2 million by 2024 and is projected to reach $459.8 million by 2025–2026, with earlier estimates from the Parliamentary Budget Office putting the total cost at over $750 million, plus administrative expenses.”Critics also question the effectiveness of the program, noting that most violent gun crimes in Canada are committed with illegal firearms.Statistics Canada reports that in 91% of solved homicides in 2023, the shooter did not have a valid firearms licence.Also, the Toronto Police Service has long reported that the majority of seized firearms are smuggled into Canada from the United States..Despite — or perhaps because of — the federal government's crackdown, interest in legal firearm ownership appears to be growing, with Bernardo saying the police and the federal government are working together using the Firearms Reference Table (FRT) to ban more firearms individually and arbitrarily.“The courts have ruled [the FRT] has no weight in law,” Bernardo said. “Yet, the RCMP and the Liberal government are using it like it’s some kind of legal decree. They’re prosecuting with it. They can arbitrarily take any firearm and instantly turn it into a prohibited gun.“It’s the most heinous abuse of law I can ever remember seeing.”With the number of PAL holders steadily climbing, and new bans and confiscations planned by the government for 2025 — such as the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program — observers suggest Canada could see even higher numbers of PAL holders in the near future.
