By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors.
Last updated: 24 October 2026
A PAL holder can carry a non-restricted rifle or shotgun on a hike where the province, the land manager and the property owner allow it, because section 17 of the Firearms Act limits where restricted and prohibited firearms may be possessed and does not apply to non-restricted firearms. A handgun or other restricted firearm cannot be carried on a trail without an Authorization to Carry, and the wilderness ground for one applies only to people working in a remote wilderness area. National parks prohibit carrying a firearm outside a vehicle without a superintendent's permit, and BC provincial parks prohibit possession outside a vehicle except in listed parks during an open hunting season, in Columbia Lake Park from 10 September to 15 June, or with a park officer's authorization.
Can you carry a rifle or shotgun on a hike with a PAL?
Yes, with limits. Section 91(1) of the Criminal Code makes it an offence to possess a non-restricted firearm "without being the holder of" "a licence under which the person may possess it." A valid PAL meets that requirement.
Section 17 of the Firearms Act controls where a firearm may be possessed, and it applies only to "a prohibited firearm or restricted firearm." Non-restricted firearms are outside it. Where you can carry a rifle or shotgun is then decided by provincial law, park regulations, municipal bylaws and the owner of the land.
The Firearms Act requires no authorization beyond the PAL to carry a non-restricted rifle or shotgun for protection from wildlife.
What about handguns and other restricted firearms?
Section 17 of the Firearms Act states that a restricted or prohibited firearm "may be possessed only at the dwelling-house of the individual, as recorded in the Canadian Firearms Registry, or at a place authorized by a chief firearms officer." An Authorization to Transport under section 19 covers moving the firearm "between two or more specified places."
Carrying a handgun on your person outside those places requires an Authorization to Carry (ATC) under section 20 of the Firearms Act and the Authorizations to Carry Restricted Firearms and Certain Handguns Regulations (SOR/98-207). The wilderness ground in section 3(b) applies where "the individual is working in a remote wilderness area and firearms are required for the protection of the life of that individual or of other individuals from wild animals." Wilderness and trapping ATCs are occupational ATCs under paragraph 20(b), and section 57 of the Firearms Act makes the Chief Firearms Officer responsible for issuing them. The test is work in a remote area, so a recreational hike does not qualify. Our Authorization to Carry guide covers eligibility, fees and the proficiency test.
Can you carry a firearm in a national park?
Not outside a vehicle without a permit. Section 20(1) of the National Parks Wildlife Regulations (SOR/81-401) states: "No person shall be in possession of a firearm in a park unless the firearm is not loaded and is transported in a case or is wrapped and tied securely in such a manner that no part of the firearm is exposed."
Section 20(5) states: "No person shall carry a firearm or trap outside a vehicle, vessel or aircraft unless" the person has a permit from the superintendent and complies with the regulations, or is carrying it directly between a vehicle and their premises. Section 20(3)(a) prohibits having "a loaded firearm in or on a vehicle, vessel or aircraft."
Section 16(1) lets a superintendent "prohibit the possession of firearms" in specified areas. Parks Canada has used that power in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay, where the order prohibits "Possession of firearms at all times in all areas" of the three parks, "except at a person's primary premises or in a motor vehicle that is travelling on a highway."
Can you carry a firearm in a BC provincial park?
Section 28 of the Park, Conservancy and Recreation Area Regulation (B.C. Reg. 180/90) states: "A person must not possess a firearm, bow or crossbow in a park, conservancy or recreation area except" when it is "carried in a vehicle," "during an open season specified under the Wildlife Act in those parks, conservancies and recreation areas listed in Schedule B," in Columbia Lake Park between 10 September and 15 June, or "as authorized by a park officer."
Section 29 limits discharge to hunting during an open season in Schedule B parks or as a park officer authorizes, and, unless a park officer authorizes it, prohibits hunting or discharge "within 400 metres of either side of the centreline of a park road or highway."
What about the firearm in your vehicle at the trailhead?
Section 10(1) of the federal transport rules (SOR/98-209) requires a non-restricted firearm to be unloaded while transported. In British Columbia, section 4(1) of the Firearm Violence Prevention Act states: "A person must not transport, carry or store a loaded firearm in or on a vehicle or boat." That Act counts a firearm as loaded when ammunition is in a detachable cartridge magazine "that is inside or attached to the firearm."
Every one of these rules starts with a licence. Silvercore teaches the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC), the PAL course for non-restricted firearms, over two consecutive days for $190 plus tax. Book the PAL course.
Frequently asked questions
Can I carry a handgun for bear protection while hiking?
No, unless the Chief Firearms Officer has issued you an Authorization to Carry for work in a remote wilderness area. Section 3(b) of SOR/98-207 covers an individual working in a remote wilderness area who needs firearms for protection from wild animals. Recreational hiking is not work, so it does not meet that test.
Can I carry a rifle on a hike with a non-restricted PAL?
Yes, where provincial law, park rules, municipal bylaws and the landowner allow it. Section 17 of the Firearms Act limits where restricted and prohibited firearms may be possessed and does not apply to non-restricted firearms.
Can I carry a rifle in Banff National Park?
No. A superintendent's order under section 16(1) of the National Parks Wildlife Regulations prohibits possession of firearms at all times in all areas of Banff, Yoho and Kootenay national parks, except at a person's primary premises or in a motor vehicle travelling on a highway. During transport the firearm must be unloaded and in a case or wrapped and tied securely so that no part of it is exposed.
Can I keep a loaded rifle in my truck in BC?
No. Section 4(1) of the BC Firearm Violence Prevention Act prohibits transporting, carrying or storing a loaded firearm in or on a vehicle or boat, and section 10(1) of the federal storage and transport regulations requires a non-restricted firearm to be unloaded while transported.
Can I carry a rifle in a BC provincial park outside hunting season?
Only inside a vehicle or with a park officer's authorization. Section 28 of B.C. Reg. 180/90 allows possession outside a vehicle in listed parks during an open season under the Wildlife Act, in Columbia Lake Park between 10 September and 15 June, or as authorized by a park officer.
