Canada Firearms Licences Near 2.5M as GTA Applications Rise
Canada had 2,473,661 firearms licence holders at the end of 2025, according to the RCMP’s latest Commissioner of Firearms report. Maclean’s also reported that new application volumes in parts of the Greater Toronto Area rose by nearly 50 per cent.
That national total does not mean 2.47 million Canadians recently bought firearms. Instead, it refers to people with a valid Possession and Acquisition Licence, commonly called a PAL. A PAL is required to acquire firearms and ammunition in Canada. Applicants must complete the required safety process, provide personal information and pass eligibility screening through the Canadian Firearms Program.
The reported GTA increase points to growing interest in an urban region. This comes alongside the long-standing concentration of licence holders in rural and northern communities. The national total is significant because licensed ownership is now near its highest recorded level. Federal firearms policy also remains a major political and legal issue.
Several factors may be contributing to the rise. The Maclean’s report points to growing interest among younger adults, women and people from communities not traditionally represented in shooting sports. Sport shooting, hunting, family participation and concern about future rule changes can all influence application timing. A percentage increase in applications also needs context: it measures the flow of new submissions over a stated period, not the total number of firearms in the region.
Canada’s licensing system separates legal ownership from gun crime data. A valid licence indicates that an individual has completed the application requirements and remains subject to ongoing eligibility screening. It does not show how many firearms that person owns, and non-restricted firearms are generally not counted through a national owner-by-owner registry. Restricted and prohibited firearms follow separate registration rules.
The federal government has made multiple changes to firearms rules in recent years, including restrictions affecting certain handgun transfers and classifications of some firearm models. Those policy shifts have led to court challenges, compliance questions and renewed debate among public-safety advocates, firearm owners, sport organizations and provincial governments.
Readers should also avoid treating licence growth as a stand-in for trends in violent crime. Statistics Canada analyzes firearm-related violent crime using police-reported incidents, while the Canadian Firearms Program tracks licensing and registration administration. Those datasets answer different questions and should be read separately.
For current licence requirements and application steps, consult the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program. Background on the reported ownership increase is available from Maclean’s, and national data on firearm-related violent crime is published by Statistics Canada.
