By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors.

Short answer first. No, most people in Canada cannot buy a handgun right now. And yes, you can absolutely still get your RPAL. Those two facts sit side by side, and the space between them is where nearly all of the confusion lives.

This one comes straight out of our own comment section. Under one of our videos this summer, someone asked how anyone is supposed to get a restricted licence now, and someone else confidently replied that a carry permit lets you order a handgun. Neither had it right, and I do not blame either of them. The rules changed in stages, the news coverage blurs two different files together, and most of what circulates is secondhand. So here is the whole picture, plainly, with the facts checked against the RCMP and Public Safety Canada.

What the handgun freeze actually did

A national freeze on the sale, purchase, and transfer of handguns by individuals, and on bringing newly acquired handguns into Canada, came into force by regulation on October 21, 2022. It was then written into the Firearms Act on December 15, 2023, when former Bill C-21 received royal assent. That is the law today, unchanged as of this writing.

Notice what that sentence says and what it does not say. The freeze stopped most acquisitions. It did not ban handguns, it did not change how handguns are classified, and it did not take anything away from existing owners. If a handgun was registered to you before October 21, 2022, you can keep it, shoot it at the range, and transport it under your authorizations. What you cannot do is sell or transfer it to another individual, unless that individual is exempt, and you cannot buy another one unless you are exempt yourself.

So can you still get your RPAL?

Yes. Nothing about the freeze touched licensing or training. The Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course still runs, the restricted licence is still issued, and the path is the same as it always was: complete the CFSC, complete the CRFSC, apply through the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program. At Silvercore the CRFSC on its own is $135 plus tax, and most of our students take the combined CFSC and CRFSC course at $270 plus tax because doing the two together takes less time and costs less than booking them separately.

If you are still sorting out which licence does what, our PAL vs RPAL guide walks through the difference.

Who is actually exempt from the freeze?

The exemption list is short, and it is worth reading exactly as the RCMP states it. Individuals may still acquire a handgun if they hold an Authorization to Carry, or if they train, compete, or coach in a handgun shooting discipline that is on the program of the International Olympic Committee or the International Paralympic Committee. Businesses continue to operate: authorized retailers can import and sell handguns to other businesses, to law enforcement and defence personnel, and to exempted individuals. That is the entire list. You can read it on the RCMP's classes of firearms page.

Two corrections that come up constantly. First, an Authorization to Carry is not an Authorization to Transport. The ATC is a rare permit held mostly by armoured car guards and people working in remote wilderness who need a firearm to protect their life. The ATT is the common authorization that lets a licensed owner move a restricted firearm to the range. An ATT is not a freeze exemption, and neither is club membership. If someone tells you a carry permit or a club card lets you order a handgun, they are mixing these up. Second, target shooting on its own does not exempt you. The exemption covers Olympic and Paralympic program disciplines only. IPSC and general recreational disciplines do not qualify, and an attempt to widen that exemption to a broader range of sport shooters during the Senate's study of the bill went nowhere.

Is the freeze the thing in front of the Supreme Court?

No, and this mix-up is doing a lot of work in the comment sections. The case the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear in March 2026 challenges the May 2020 Order in Council that prohibited a long list of firearms the government labels assault-style. The amnesty attached to that ban was extended in June 2026 and now expires 90 days after the Court rules, with a decision expected in 2027. That file is about the 2020 ban. The handgun freeze is a separate measure, it is not before the Supreme Court, and no court has set it aside. Treat any claim that the freeze was struck down as a rumour until you see it from the RCMP or Public Safety Canada.

Why take the CRFSC now, if you cannot buy a handgun?

I get asked this every week, and my answer has not changed. The licence is the slow part. A course takes a weekend, but the application, the background checks, and the waiting period stretch the whole thing out over months. The freeze governs transfers, not licensing, and firearms law in this country has moved in both directions over the years. If the rules shift, whether through Parliament, regulation, or the courts, the people positioned to act are the ones already holding the licence. Certified is certified.

There are other reasons too. The CRFSC is where you learn the storage, transport, and handling rules that apply to restricted firearms, which matters if you ever inherit responsibility for one, shoot with someone who owns one, or work anywhere near them. And if your path runs toward an Olympic or Paralympic discipline, the exemption only means something for a person who holds the licence to use it.

One important point that many people miss: laws change. Guns that are currently listed as non-restricted could become restricted, and the handgun freeze could be lifted. Only people holding a valid restricted licence would be eligible to take advantage of both of these changes.

Where the Silvercore Club fits

Let me be precise here, because this is exactly where the misinformation started. The Silvercore Club is not a freeze exemption. Membership does not let you buy a handgun, and neither does an ATT. What the Club is: the club membership your Chief Firearms Officer looks for when issuing a long term Authorization to Transport for a restricted firearm you already own, plus $5 million in liability insurance, free access to our online courses, and a community that stays with you long after the course ends. Membership is $59 a year.

Join the Silvercore Club.

The freeze changed what you can buy. It did not change what you can learn, what you can hold a licence for, or who you can become as a firearms owner. Get the training, get licensed, and stay current. The rest is out of your hands anyway.

Travis Bader, Silvercore Outdoors