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
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.