Alberta gun owners struggle to renew licenses due to massive federal delays
With hunting seasons open across Alberta, many firearms owners are finding themselves facing a difficult decision.
To have a firearm you must have a possession and acquisition license – also known as a PAL – but unusually long delays in renewing licenses means some will have to pass on their annual hunting trips or risk running afoul of the law.
75-year-old Don Holloway of Calgary says he first mailed in his renewal back in March.
He says it was returned two months later with a note saying it was done incorrectly.
He re-did his application and sent it off again in May and his new licence still hasn't arrived.
"Am I illegally possessing my firearms because I don't have a PAL that's current? Even though it's in the application program?" Holloway said.
"I mean, does that make me a criminal?"
Holloway says he still hunts birds with a century-old shotgun given to him by his grandfather and relies on a deer each year for the meat he and his wife eat. He worries he may have to sit this year out for the first time in decades if his licence doesn't come through soon.
"Hunting season has started and without a PAL, you could be in hot water."
The RCMP in New Brunswick processes the vast majority of Canadian PAL renewals.
The delays are affecting as many as 60,000 or 70,000 Albertans this year and Alberta's chief firearms officer Teri Bryant says applications are taking between six and nine months to complete.
She cautions people that leaving home with a firearm without a valid licence is illegal.
"Well, you shouldn't do it. According to the law, you do have a six-month grace period," Bryant said. "But during that period, you're not supposed to be doing anything with your guns.
"This does put Alberta firearms owners in a very difficult spot, particularly if they're hunters, and there's a limited window of time when they can go out hunting."
The majority of Alberta's hunting seasons are open during the fall, lasting September through the end of November.
The province has committed $7 million to hire more staff to help RCMP get licence turnaround times back to 60 days for new applications and less for simple renewals.
There are approximately 340,000 licensed firearms owners in Alberta and 2.2 million in Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.