In case you missed it: The terms of your ATT have changed

Here's something that's been coming for months, but apparently some Canadian gun owners are still surprised by it: As of July 7, the federal government says the terms of your Authorization to Transport (ATT) have changed.

If you passed your firearms safety course, you should remember Canadians with restricted or prohibited firearms (handguns, some rifles and shotguns) require an Authorization to Transport if they wish to take those restricted or prohibited firearms off their property. Want to go to the range? The gunsmith? A gun show? To another country even? You need an ATT.

Over the past six years, it's been fairly easy to get an ATT, once you've acquired a restricted firearm. The ATT system was overhauled with Bill C-42 (more on that here), and if you had an ATT allowing you to take your restricted or prohibited firearm to the gun range, that ATT was also valid for most other valid transportation purposes. If you needed to go to the gunsmith, or you wished to take your restricted or prohibited firearm to the US for the purpose of competition or hunting, the same paperwork covered it all.

Public Safety Canada says that's no longer the case. Earlier in July, Canadian owners of restricted or prohibited firearms received the following letter from the RCMP:

Here's the gist of it: Thanks to Bill C-71 (see Calibre's past coverage here), the federal government now says your ATT no longer covers trips to the gunsmith. Trips to gun shows, a port of exit/entry (a border crossing to the US, for instance), and even trips to the police station "for purposes of verification, registration or disposal" are no longer covered by your ATT, the feds say.

So, if you wish to move your restricted or prohibited firearm to those locations, the owner must now call their province's Chief Firearms Officer, and get a specific ATT to allow that transport.

Two thoughts: First, this is obviously a massive hassle, and returns the ATT system to the convoluted, inefficient program of old. Telephone wait times are going to drag simple processes out, and add to the general mess of red tape that Canadian gun owners deal with.

Second: There's likely a legal angle on this, over the wording of the ATT certificates. Don't be surprised to see court challenges on this in the near future, dragged on and on over the coming couple of years.

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