WHO CAN APPLY

Can you get a PAL with a criminal record in Canada?

Last reviewed July 15, 2026

A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you from a PAL. One thing does: a court-ordered weapons prohibition that is still in force - while one applies, you cannot hold a licence, full stop. Everything else is a judgment call made by your province’s Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) under section 5 of the Firearms Act, which asks one question: is it desirable, in the interest of public safety, for you to have firearms?

Here’s how that review works, what weighs against you, and how to apply honestly with a record.

The hard bar: prohibition orders

Courts attach weapons prohibition orders to many convictions - some mandatory (violent and weapons offences), some discretionary. If you’re subject to one:

• you cannot get any firearms licence until it expires or is lifted;
• applying anyway wastes the fee - the check will find it;
• some prohibitions are for life; others run 10 years or a set term. Your court documents or a lawyer can tell you exactly when yours ends.

If you’re unsure whether an old sentence included a prohibition, find out before booking a course. The CFSC itself has no criminal-record screening - anyone can take it, and the report never expires - but there’s no point paying for the licence application while barred.

Everything else: the section 5 review

With no active prohibition, the CFO looks at your history - with particular attention to the last five years - for factors the Firearms Act names:

• offences involving violence, threats, or attempted violence, especially against a partner or family member;
• weapons and firearms offences;
• drug offences;
• treatment for a mental illness associated with violence or threats;
• a history of behaviour involving violence or threats.

The application also requires two references and notification of your current spouse or partner and any former partner from the past two years - the review takes domestic history seriously by design. (The full application walkthrough is in Applying for your PAL.)

None of these factors is an automatic refusal. Recency, seriousness, pattern, and what’s changed since all matter. A 20-year-old shoplifting conviction is a different conversation than a two-year-old assault charge. Expect a record to mean more processing time - reviews with history routinely run past the standard timelines - and possibly a follow-up interview.

Answer everything truthfully

The personal-history questions are direct and the RCMP verifies against police databases. The worst strategy available is minimizing or omitting:

• a false statement on the application is an offence in itself;
• an omission discovered during checks reads as current dishonesty, which speaks to the exact public-safety judgment being made;
• an honest disclosure with context - dates, disposition, what’s different now - is something a CFO can weigh in your favour.

If your situation is complicated (foreign convictions, peace bonds, withdrawn charges, ongoing proceedings), consider a consult with a lawyer who handles firearms matters before applying. Foreign records count in the review, which matters for newcomers to Canada.

If you’re refused

A refusal (or a later revocation) comes with written reasons and a right to challenge it - a reference hearing before a provincial court judge, with a filing deadline stated in the notice. Some applicants instead wait, build more distance from the events in question, and reapply. Which path makes sense is case-specific legal territory; the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program publishes the process, and a lawyer can assess your odds.

The practical sequence with a record

1. Confirm no prohibition order is in force (court records, lawyer).
2. Take the CFSC - no screening applies to the course. Find one near you.
3. Gather your dates and dispositions so your application answers are exact.
4. Apply, disclose fully, and budget extra months for the review.

The course is the one step that’s entirely in your control, and its report keeps forever.