How Long to Receive Registration Certificate?

[Rosco19]

I bought a pistol from a dealer in BC. I promptly received paperwork from the local CFO which included my LTATT as well as transfer of ownership papers. I then received the pistol in the mail this past Monday. However I'm still waiting on receiving my registration certificate. I'm assuming this is handled by Miramichi? How long on average does it take for this to arrive? Also, I imagine it is a bad idea to leave the house with the pistol (even though I have an LTATT) until I also have the certificate?

[Strewth]

It is a bad idea to leave the house without ze registration papers, even though you have the LTATT. Gots to have your papers, keeps the Earth from crumbling around you when you leave the house.

Most current for me was...two months ago? It took two weeks after the pistol arrived to get my registration cert. My sympathies, it's the part of the waiting game I like the least - stare at pistol, dryfire, strip and reassemble, look wistfully in the mailbox...

[awndray]

My latest purchase (from a retailer) took a mere 6 days. As for taking the gun out with you, it shouldn't be a problem provided you have your ATT and the confirmation of transfer. I've inquired about this in the past and I was told that if I have the confirmation number, I'm covered. Alternatively, the CFO can (and has) faxed or emailed a copy of certificates and ATT's.

[Rosco19]

My sympathies, it's the part of the waiting game I like the least - stare at pistol, dryfire, strip and reassemble, look wistfully in the mailbox...
Okay I'm glad I'm not the only one going through the above steps. (Over and over again). Thanks.

[ian745]

just did a few of these myself, and both times in the last 2 weeks, the cfo agent stressed to me about being a responsible gun owner, and making sure i wait till my registration arrived in the mail before taking the pistol to the range, generally speaking, the last 5 ive done have never taken more then 10 buissness days to arrive to my mail box, and yes, gave me plenty of time to learn the steps in each pistol for tearing them down, cleaning and putting them back together again..lol

[shootemup604]

Usually a week to get the certificate. Keeps you from taking it out and killing someone rashly before it arrives.

[XERXIES_333]

Weird the way it work's, you get the gun before the paper work that make's it safe.

[CaperJim]

It isn't about safety, it's about discouraging you from firearm ownership via a bureaucratic process

[RangeBob]

Usually a week to get the certificate.

That was my experience too. Once it's approved, snail mail is most of the time it takes.


The process is automated. They don't even have to stuff an envelope. They push a button, and within an hour your certificate is ready for Canada Post (printed, folded, envelope stuffed, postage applied, and in the out-bin).

This guy asked for reprints of all of his registration certificates. He got 4 per page, but each page in its own envelope.
http://www.rangebob.com/Assorted/RegistrationCertificatesReamPAPERWORK_Ganderite.jp g

[IJ22]

Is anybody aware of any case law regarding using the transfer confirmation as a de facto registration certificate? I've heard tell of both sides on the grapevince....some CFO's say you're fine to transport with the transfer confirmation others say if you're caught you go to jail. More legal ambiguity, who would have expected that? :)

I'm inclined to believe it is in fact a de facto registration certificate, based on the fact that firearms are typically shipped upon receipt of it. I'm not aware in law of a distinction being made for transporting a firearm without a registration certificate to a new owner. This practice, however, seems to be generally accepted as legal by CFO's and LE. Therefore, transfer notice must = registration certificate.

[RangeBob]

The law says you have to be the holder of a registration certificate. But holder seems to mean that you're in the computer. (the paper copy you have might have been revoked)
The law then says you have to present the certificate upon demand to a peace officer, which seems to mean that you're in possession of the paper.

But the law also says that the staff at the Canadian Firearms Program are committing an indictable offence every time they transfer a firearm, and that gets ignored. I wonder if Suzanne Legault will take up this 'injustice'.

[IJ22]

The law says you have to be the holder of a registration certificate. But holder seems to mean that you're in the computer. (the paper copy you have might have been revoked)
The law then says you have to present the certificate upon demand to a peace officer, which seems to mean that you're in possession of the paper.

Exactly. I printed off my transfer notification, so it's paper I can present. The paper, even a registration certificate, it can be argued, is simply documentation of the certificate, not the certificate itself. The certificate exists in the CFP hall of records, or whatever. As far as I know, the transfer notification contains all the information the registration certificate contains.

Also, the notification itself says I need an ATT to take possession of the firearm, nothing about waiting for the "official" registration certificate. I take that to mean I can drive down to the seller's house and get my firearm immediately, which I believe is the common practice. If I can do that legally, I should be able to take it to the range legally. I think the CFOs that say you can't are blowing thunder.

[RangeBob]

When the LGR ended, the CFOs told businesses that they had to continue to record {name, address, PAL, make, model, serial, etc} in the CFO log book for non-restricted firearms, but they no longer had to record the certificate number, because the certificate number was the registry certificate the law was getting rid of, and not the {name, address, PAL, make, model, serial, etc}.
Businesses, PALers, MPs, and the media, said "say what?"
And that was mostly cleared up a few months later by Parliament.

I'm not sure how powerful the ATT is. Can an ATT, for example, allow someone to transfer firearms that don't yet have registration certificates, or have had their registration certificates revoked? (e.g. imports, exports). I note the "Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations" and "Storage, Display and Transportation of Firearms and Other Weapons by Businesses Regulations" make no mention of certificates.

Bill C42 had a bit about a condition of your RPAL now being that a buyer could, without a separate ATT, go to wherever to take possession of the firearm that had been transferred to you (but not the seller). You still have to wait for transfer approval and a new registration certificate number.

[SeirX]

This showed up exactly 1 day before my happy-pew-pews showed up [complete with a new license card...is that weird? I find that weird]

"SPECIAL CONDITIONS
Carry this document with your licence card as you must be able to produce this document on demand if requested by a peace officer or other authority.

These licence conditions authorize the transport of restricted and/or prohibited firearms registered to the licence holder within their province of residence by a route that, in all circumstances, is reasonably direct for the specific indicated purposes.
Transport of restricted firearms and/or prohibited handguns (12(6.1)) possessed for the purpose of target practice to and from all shooting clubs and ranges approved under section 29 of the Firearms Act.
Transport of restricted firearms and/or prohibited firearms to and from any place a peace officer, firearms officer or chief firearms officer is located for verification, registration or disposal in accordance with the Firearms Act or Part III of the Criminal Code.
Transport of restricted firearms and/or prohibited firearms to and from a business that holds a license authorizing it to repair or appraise prohibited or restricted firearms.
Transport of restricted firearms and/or prohibited firearms to and from a gun show.
Transport of restricted firearms and/or prohibited firearms to a port of exit, in order to take them outside Canada and from a port of entry.
Transport of a newly acquired restricted firearms and/or prohibited firearms from the place of acquisition to the licence holder's dwelling house or other place authorized by the chief firearms officer.


...now..to my and my limited understanding, the first point seems to contradict the rest of the points?
Unless the item is registered immediately to the new owner upon approval/transfer when such is granted by the CFO's office?

[RangeBob]

They look like the normal, post Bill C42, conditions to me.


...now..to my and my limited understanding, the first point seems to contradict the rest of the points?
I don't see how. Please explain.


Unless the item is registered immediately to the new owner upon approval/transfer when such is granted by the CFO's office?
Yes, the restricted/prohibited firearm is registered to you immediately upon CFO approval of the transfer. Has been thus since ~2000.

[SeirX]

Well, being new to the bureaucracy of firearms.....there's a lot I don't understand-in-full as of yet.

"...authorize the transport of restricted and/or prohibited firearms registered to the licence holder ...."
That bit there says to me that I should have received a form or certificate or *something* with an official-registration kind of thing on it..a simple bit of text I could have printed off at home doesn't seem like it would cut it, should things go south with a 'peace' officer.

Maybe my expectations are higher than the reality of the thing.

[RangeBob]

Well, being new to the bureaucracy of firearms.....there's a lot I don't understand-in-full as of yet.
"...authorize the transport of restricted and/or prohibited firearms registered to the licence holder ...."
That bit there says to me that I should have received a form or certificate or *something* with an official-registration kind of thing on it..a simple bit of text I could have printed off at home doesn't seem like it would cut it, should things go south with a 'peace' officer.

When the CFO authorizes the transfer, you should get information about the transfer authorization approval, usually some sort of a document faxed or emailed to you before you can pick up the restricted firearm, and it will have a registration certificate number on it. This is not a registration certificate, but because you have the registration certificate number a police officer can use the CFRO (Canadian Firearms Registry Online) to look up in the CFP (Canadian Firearms Program) database that your firearm is registered.

Within about two weeks of the transfer, and thus about two weeks after you've brought the firearm home, you should receive in the snail mail two letters. The first an envelope from the RCMP saying that you will receive your registration certificate tomorrow. The second an envelope with a green piece of paper from the RCMP with the registration certificate in it. This is just a one sided letter on piece of paper which you may photocopy, and cut out the tiny card sized portion of the paper that is the registration certificate. I keep a copy in my files, a copy in my secure storage, a copy in my wallet, and a copy in my firearms transport opaque case. This is the one that you must keep on you whenever you transport your firearms, so that you can present it to the officer "on demand" as required by Law.