By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors.

Last updated: 5 October 2026

BC's Firearm Violence Prevention Act (FVPA) took effect on 1 October 2026. For a licensed owner who already follows federal law, the main changes are provincial enforcement, higher tickets, and a route from a paid ticket to a prohibition order. The new rules land on airguns, airsoft and replicas, on parents and teens, and on six kinds of property where firearms are now banned.

This post explains British Columbia provincial law in plain language. It is not legal advice.

A BC Law Layered on Top of Federal Law

I have taught the Canadian Firearms Safety Course since 1994, and every one of those courses taught federal law. On 1 October 2026, British Columbia repealed its old Firearm Act and replaced it with the Firearm Violence Prevention Act (FVPA), a 102-section provincial statute. The FVPA is provincial law. It applies only in BC, and it sits on top of the federal Criminal Code and Firearms Act, which still apply in full. Nothing in it changes who needs a PAL, how firearms are classified, or the federal storage and transport rules.

I read the FVPA and its two regulations side by side with the repealed BC Firearm Act and the federal rules they overlap. Here is what carried forward and what is new.

Before and After 1 October 2026

Loaded firearm in a vehicle

• Before: Federal law already required non-restricted firearms to be transported unloaded (Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling Regulations s. 10). The old BC Firearm Act s. 9 banned a firearm with live ammunition in its breech or magazine in a motor vehicle, wagon, sleigh, aircraft, bicycle, railway car or other conveyance.
• Under the FVPA: No loaded firearm in or on a vehicle or boat (Act s. 4(1)).
• What is new: Boats are now named in the loaded-firearm offence; federal law already required firearms in boats to be unloaded (SOR/98-209 s. 1, 10). The ticket rises from $230 to $575, and paying it can lead to a firearm prohibition order.

What "loaded" means

• Before: Old BC Act: live ammunition in the breech or magazine. Federal: ammunition in the chamber or in a magazine attached to or inserted into the firearm.
• Under the FVPA: Ammunition in the chamber or in a magazine inside or attached to the firearm (Act s. 1).
• What is new: Wording now tracks the federal definition. A gun with the safety on is still loaded (s. 4(3)). A muzzleloader that is capped or flinted, charged and primed is loaded for s. 4(1) (s. 4(4)).

Shooting from a vehicle or boat

• Before: Old BC Act s. 9 covered discharge from any listed conveyance. Wildlife Act s. 27(1) bans discharge from a motor vehicle or a motor-propelled boat.
• Under the FVPA: Flat ban on discharge in, on or from any vehicle or boat (Act s. 5(1)).
• What is new: Non-motorized boats are named expressly, with a hunting exemption for boats not under motor (Designation and Exemption Regulation s. 18, 19). Wildlife Act permits can also exempt (Wildlife Act s. 19(3); Act s. 86). Ticket: $1,150.

Careless use or storage

• Before: Old BC Act s. 3 duty of care. Criminal Code s. 86(1) careless use, transport or storage.
• Under the FVPA: Act s. 3, a similar duty reworded to cover use, transport, carrying and storage.
• What is new: Now ticketable at $1,150, and paying it can support a prohibition order.

Firearm in a vehicle with no licensed person aboard

• Before: Unlicensed possession was already a crime (Criminal Code s. 91). Criminal Code s. 94 already made it an offence to be an occupant of a motor vehicle you know holds a firearm unless someone aboard is licensed.
• Under the FVPA: Offence to operate a vehicle holding a firearm unless an occupant is licensed and the firearm is transported to federal standard (Act s. 6, 7).
• What is new: A provincial offence for the driver, enforceable without a criminal charge. Breaking a federal transport rule while driving is now also a BC offence. Adds bicycles, sleighs and wagons; ATVs and e-scooters were already motor vehicles under Criminal Code s. 2.

Airguns in vehicles

• Before: Old BC Act: "firearm" included any gun using compressed air, so loaded airguns in vehicles were already banned. Federal transport rules did not apply to low-velocity airguns (Criminal Code s. 84(3)(d)).
• Under the FVPA: Low-velocity airguns, airsoft and replicas in a vehicle or boat must be in a locked trunk or compartment, or a locked, opaque container (Act s. 4(2); Gen. Reg. s. 4).
• What is new: New for BB and pellet guns and for non-replica imitations. Federally, replica firearms, which can include realistic airsoft, already had to be in a locked trunk or compartment, or out of sight in a locked vehicle where there is none (SOR/98-209 s. 13).

Airguns, airsoft and replicas in public

• Before: No provincial rule. Criminal Code s. 88 already made it a crime to carry or possess a weapon or an imitation of one for a purpose dangerous to the public peace.
• Under the FVPA: Offence to use, carry or store a low-velocity or imitation firearm in a way that causes or is likely to cause a disturbance in a public place (Act s. 8(2)).
• What is new: A provincial offence judged by the effect on the public, so no dangerous purpose has to be proven. It covers BB and pellet guns as well as airsoft and replicas. A vehicle or boat parked anywhere the public can see it counts as a public place (Act s. 8(1)). Maximum: $5,000 and 12 months (Act s. 65).

Minors and airguns

• Before: No federal age limit on buying a low-velocity airgun, because federal licensing does not apply to it (Criminal Code s. 84(3)(d)). Realistic replicas were already prohibited devices that could not be sold to anyone (Criminal Code s. 84(1)).
• Under the FVPA: Sales, rental and paid supply to minors banned; minors must keep them in a locked, opaque container (Act s. 11 to 14).
• What is new: BC now bars selling a BB gun, pellet gun, airsoft gun or replica, or ammunition for a BB or pellet gun, to anyone under 18, and bars renting or supplying one to them for payment. A minor who shows a federal firearms licence can still buy (Act s. 12(2)). Minors must keep their own in a locked, opaque container at home and in transit; in a vehicle or boat the adult rule applies instead (Act s. 14(2), (3)).

Schools, campuses, hospitals and more

• Before: No general provincial ban.
• Under the FVPA: Firearms and imitation firearms banned on six kinds of designated property (Act s. 18).
• What is new: BC now bans firearms, BB and pellet guns, airsoft and replicas on school, child care, post-secondary, hospital, court and place-of-worship property. On a campus where a program runs, the whole campus is covered (Act s. 23(3)). Exemptions are narrow, and most need written approval from the property's relevant entity (DP Reg. s. 5, 6). A vehicle or boat temporarily on the property is exempt if everything aboard is transported to standard, except on court property (DP Reg. s. 4(1), 67).

Maximum penalty

• Before: Old BC Act offences: up to $2,000 and 6 months (Offence Act s. 4). Confiscation only by a justice's order (old s. 8).
• Under the FVPA: Up to $5,000 and 12 months for an individual; $100,000 for a business (Act s. 65).
• What is new: Higher ceilings, provincial prohibition orders, and forfeiture of a seized item on a deemed guilty plea (Act s. 61(3)).

Hunting licence fallout

• Before: Wildlife Act s. 85 already cancelled licences for unpaid fines on Firearm Act convictions.
• Under the FVPA: The same rule now names FVPA offences under s. 3, 4(1), 5(1) and 6(2).
• What is new: Carried forward to FVPA offences.

The Driving Offence Adds Provincial Teeth to Federal Rules

An unlicensed person driving alone with a rifle was already committing federal crimes: unlicensed possession (Criminal Code s. 91), and being in a motor vehicle with a firearm when no one aboard is licensed (Criminal Code s. 94). The FVPA does not make that newly illegal.

Act s. 6 makes it a BC offence to operate a vehicle while a non-restricted, restricted or prohibited firearm, prohibited ammunition or a prohibited device is in or on it, whether or not the vehicle is moving. Section 7 exempts the driver only when all of these are true:

• The driver or another occupant is authorized under federal law to possess the item.
• For a restricted or prohibited firearm, the driver or another occupant is also authorized to transport it.
• The item is transported, carried and stored to federal requirements.

Three differences from the federal offence matter:

1. Federal transport breaches become a BC driving offence. A licensed owner driving with a firearm that is not transported to the federal standard falls outside s. 7, so the s. 6 offence applies on top of any federal charge.
2. The vehicle list is wider. Criminal Code s. 94 covers motor vehicles. The Criminal Code defines a motor vehicle as a vehicle drawn, propelled or driven by any means other than muscular power, excluding railway equipment, so ATVs and e-scooters were already covered (s. 2). Act s. 6 adds bicycles and other human-powered devices, and sleighs and wagons (Act s. 1; Gen. Reg. s. 3). Boats and rail devices are outside s. 6.
3. The defence works differently. Criminal Code s. 94 spells out a defence for an occupant who reasonably believed someone aboard was licensed. Act s. 7 has no such wording. Regulatory offences are presumed to be strict liability (R. v. Sault Ste. Marie, [1978] 2 S.C.R. 1299), and an absolute liability offence that carries jail breaches the Charter (Re B.C. Motor Vehicle Act, [1985] 2 S.C.R. 486). Section 6 carries possible jail (Act s. 65). A driver can defend it by proving they took all reasonable care, or that they reasonably believed in facts that would have made their conduct innocent, such as a passenger holding a valid licence. The driver carries the burden of proving it.

Section 6 has no ticket. It goes to court, as a higher-penalty offence: up to $5,000, up to 12 months in jail, or both, for an individual (Act s. 65). A conviction or guilty plea can lead to a firearm prohibition order (Act s. 68; Gen. Reg. s. 46(d)). Part 5 of the Act would let police impound the vehicle, but Part 5 is not in force (B.C. Reg. 63/2026).

Whether s. 6 reaches a BB or pellet gun is an open question. The Criminal Code deems low-velocity airguns not to be firearms for its possession offences (s. 84(3)(d)), and the FVPA does not adopt that rule. The General Regulation exempts flare guns, bear bangers, starter pistols and nail guns from s. 6(2)(a) (Gen. Reg. s. 36, 37) and gives low-velocity airguns no such exemption. The Ministry of Public Safety has not said whether s. 6 applies to them.

Paying a Ticket Can Lead to a Prohibition Order

Four FVPA offences carry a ticket (Violation Ticket Administration and Fines Regulation, as amended by B.C. Reg. 67/2026). Each amount includes the victim surcharge levy.

• Act s. 3: Using, transporting, carrying or storing a firearm in a way that risks someone's safety or property. Ticket: $1,150.
• Act s. 4(1): Loaded firearm in or on a vehicle or boat. Ticket: $575.
• Act s. 4(2): Airgun or replica in a vehicle or boat, not stored as the regulation requires. Ticket: $575.
• Act s. 5(1): Discharging a firearm in, on or from a vehicle or boat. Ticket: $1,150.

Under the old Act, the only ticket was $230 for a loaded firearm in a conveyance. That ticket is now $575. Shooting from a vehicle or boat, and unsafe use or storage, now carry a $1,150 ticket.

Paying an FVPA ticket, failing to dispute it, or failing to appear counts as a deemed guilty plea. For s. 3, 4 and 5(1), that can support a provincial court order prohibiting you from possessing firearms (Act s. 68; Gen. Reg. s. 46(a) to (c)). If police seized the item involved, the deemed guilty plea also forfeits it to the government (Act s. 61(3)). The old Act allowed confiscation only after a justice was satisfied the firearm had been carried or used in breach (old s. 8).

Airguns, Airsoft and Replicas Get Real Rules

This is where most of the new obligations sit. Two definitions decide which rules apply (Act s. 1):

• Low-velocity firearm. A Criminal Code firearm not designed or adapted to exceed a muzzle velocity of 152.4 m/s or a muzzle energy of 5.7 J, and whose projectile is not designed or adapted to exceed either figure. Those are the same thresholds the Criminal Code uses to exempt airguns from federal licensing (s. 84(3)(d)).
• Imitation firearm. An object that could reasonably be mistaken for a firearm but is not one. The test is appearance. Realistic airsoft guns and replicas are caught.

An obviously toy-like gun that could not be mistaken for a firearm and cannot cause serious injury sits outside the firearm rules. Whether an airgun needs a federal licence at all is covered in our guide to airguns and the PAL.

The new rules:

• In a vehicle or boat, a low-velocity or imitation firearm must be in a locked trunk or locked compartment, or in a locked, opaque container where there is none or the item will not fit (Act s. 4(2); Gen. Reg. s. 4). Federally, only true replica firearms, which are prohibited devices, had a comparable rule (Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling Regulations s. 13). The regulation does not define "compartment"; the safe reading is that a locked cab does not count.
• In public, using, carrying or storing one in a way likely to cause a disturbance is an offence (Act s. 8). A public place includes a vehicle parked somewhere the public can see it.
• People under a federal weapons prohibition order must not possess a low-velocity or imitation firearm (Act s. 9). Federally, Criminal Code s. 117.01 already covered airguns that are Criminal Code firearms and replica firearms. The new reach is non-replica imitations, with provincial enforcement.

Firearms Banned on Six Kinds of Property

Act s. 18 bans firearms and imitation firearms on six kinds of designated property: regulated child care for children under 13, courts, hospitals, post-secondary institutions, places of public worship and schools (Act s. 20 to 25). On a post-secondary campus where a program runs, the whole campus is covered. Every exemption is narrow, and most require written approval from the property's relevant entity (DP Reg. s. 5, 6).

Driving onto most designated property is allowed under conditions. A vehicle or boat temporarily on the property is exempt when federal licences are in place, firearms are transported to federal standard, and airguns and replicas are stored to the Gen. Reg. s. 4 standard (DP Reg. s. 67). The exemption does not apply to court property (DP Reg. s. 4(1)), and "temporarily" is not defined. Driving through and short stops are covered. Leaving firearms in a car parked all day on a campus or hospital lot is a risk.

Parents: What Changes for Teens With Airsoft and BB Guns

Your teenager can still own and use an airsoft or BB gun. A minor is anyone under 18.

• No one may sell, or rent or supply for consideration, a low-velocity or imitation firearm, or low-velocity ammunition, to a minor (Act s. 11). Airsoft, paintball and similar facilities may rent them to minors for use on their premises (Act s. 13). A genuine free gift or loan from a parent is not supply for consideration.
• A seller has a defence if the minor shows a federal firearms licence (Act s. 12). A young hunter with a minor's licence can still buy.
• A minor must not transport, carry or store a loaded low-velocity firearm, and must keep a low-velocity or imitation firearm in a locked, opaque container whenever they transport, carry or store it (Act s. 14(1), (2)). That includes storage at home. A parent can hold it in the parent's own locked storage instead.
• On the premises of an airsoft, paintball or laser tag facility, while participating, the s. 14 rules do not apply (Gen. Reg. s. 35). The drive home is covered by the adult vehicle rule (Act s. 14(3)).

Breaching s. 14 carries a fine of up to $2,500, with no jail (Act s. 66). Section 14 has no ticket amount. The Act also contains a rule against minors firing airguns where a discharge law bans shooting (s. 15), but that section is not yet in force (B.C. Reg. 63/2026). Municipal discharge bylaws still apply on their own terms.

What Happened to the 2021 Concerns

When Bill 4 passed in March 2021, hunting and shooting groups warned about range paperwork, vehicle seizure, hunting from boats and doctors reporting gun owners. Here is where each stands on 5 October 2026.

• Ranges must check two pieces of ID and a PAL, and keep records on every user. Not in force. Part 4 (Act s. 26 to 33) waits on a further Cabinet regulation (B.C. Reg. 63/2026). No FVPA range duty applies today.
• Police can impound a vehicle over the s. 6 driving offence. Not in force. Part 5 (Act s. 34 to 55) waits on a further Cabinet regulation (B.C. Reg. 63/2026).
• The discharge ban (Act s. 5) ends hunting from boats. Carrying a loaded firearm in, and shooting from, a boat with no motor or with the motor not propelling it is exempt for hunting, trapping and retrieving wildlife (Designation and Exemption Regulation s. 18, 19). Shooting from a motor vehicle or a motor-propelled boat was already banned (old Firearm Act s. 9; Wildlife Act s. 27(1)).
• Hunters with disabilities who hunt from ATVs lose that option. Permits that exempted holders from the old Firearm Act s. 9 carry over (Act s. 86). A regional manager can exempt a permit holder from Act s. 4 and 5(1) (Wildlife Act s. 19(3)).
• The driving rule duplicates federal law. Largely accurate for unlicensed drivers, who were already committing Criminal Code offences (s. 91, 94). Section 6 adds a provincial offence for the driver, a wider vehicle list, and liability for breaching federal transport rules.
• Doctors and counsellors can report gun owners to police. A health professional, social worker or other professional who owes a duty of confidentiality, other than a lawyer, may notify police on a reasonable belief that a client intends to use a firearm or imitation firearm to harm themselves or another person, or to threaten or intimidate someone (Act s. 72(2)). Owning a firearm alone does not meet that test. Damages protection does not cover anything done in bad faith (Act s. 73(2)).

Frequently asked questions

Can an unlicensed person drive my rifle somewhere in BC?

Not safely. Driving it alone was already an offence under the Criminal Code: s. 91 (unlicensed possession) and s. 94 (occupant of a motor vehicle with a firearm and no licensed occupant). In BC it is now also a provincial offence for the driver (Act s. 6). With a licensed occupant aboard and the firearm transported to federal standard, Criminal Code s. 94 and Act s. 7 are satisfied. Criminal Code s. 91 is a separate offence. It turns on whether the driver possesses the firearm, which means knowledge and control (Criminal Code s. 4(3)), and its supervision exception covers using a firearm under a licence holder's supervision, not driving it (s. 91(4)(a)). Have the licence holder drive.

Do BB guns and airsoft guns have to be locked up in a vehicle in BC?

Yes, since 1 October 2026. A low-velocity or imitation firearm in a vehicle or boat must be in a locked trunk or compartment, or a locked, opaque container where there is none (Act s. 4(2); Gen. Reg. s. 4).

Is it illegal to have a loaded gun in a boat in BC?

Yes, with one exception for hunting. Act s. 4(1) bans transporting, carrying or storing a loaded firearm in or on a boat. BC law lets you carry a loaded firearm in a boat that has no motor, or whose motor is not propelling it, while hunting or trapping wildlife or retrieving wounded, injured or dead wildlife, and lets you shoot from that boat (Designation and Exemption Regulation s. 18, 19). Outside those activities, or while a motor is propelling the boat, the firearm must be unloaded. Federal law still requires a non-restricted firearm to be unloaded while it is being transported (SOR/98-209 s. 10), so travel to and from the hunt with it unloaded. Migratory birds may not be hunted from a moving boat with a motor or sail, including one still drifting from that motion (Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022 s. 41; Hunting Regulation s. 17(1)(n), (1.2)).

Did BC change the rules for storing guns at home?

The detailed storage standards are still federal (SOR/98-209). BC's general duty not to store a firearm in a way that risks safety or property applies at home too, and it reaches BB and pellet guns (Act s. 3). The old Act had a similar duty. A breach now carries a $1,150 ticket and can lead to a prohibition order. Minors who keep their own airgun or replica have an added rule (Act s. 14(2)).

Does the FVPA apply outside BC?

No. It is BC provincial law. Federal law applies everywhere in Canada.

What to Do Now

1. Follow the federal transport rules every time you drive with a firearm. In BC, a lapse while driving is now also a provincial offence (Act s. 6, 7). Our guide to transporting firearms in Canada covers the federal rules.
2. Put airguns, airsoft guns and replicas in a locked trunk or locked compartment every trip, or a locked, opaque case where there is none (Act s. 4(2); Gen. Reg. s. 4).
3. If your teen keeps their own airgun, give them a locked, opaque case, or keep it in your own locked storage (Act s. 14(2)).
4. Do not carry firearms, airguns or replicas out of your vehicle onto school, campus, hospital, child care, worship or court property without an exemption (Act s. 18; DP Reg. s. 67).
5. Treat any FVPA ticket as a court matter, and get advice before paying it.

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Travis Bader, Silvercore Outdoors

This post summarizes BC's Firearm Violence Prevention Act, SBC 2021, c. 7, and its regulations as of 5 October 2026. It is not legal advice. For advice on your situation, speak to a lawyer.

Sources

• Bill 4, Firearm Violence Prevention Act, Third Reading text (42nd Parliament, 1st Session, 2021)
• Table of Legislative Changes, SBC 2021, c. 7
• B.C. Reg. 64/2026 (General Regulation) and B.C. Reg. 65/2026 (Designated Property Regulation)
• B.C. Reg. 63/2026 (commencement)
• B.C. Reg. 67/2026 (ticket amounts)
• B.C. Reg. 66/2026 (Wildlife Act amendments, including hunting from boats)
• Firearm Act, RSBC 1996, c. 145 (repealed)
• Wildlife Act s. 27, 85
• Criminal Code s. 84, s. 88, s. 91, s. 94
• Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations
• Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022 s. 41
• BC Government FVPA page