By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors. Teaching the CFSC and CRFSC since 1994.

The Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC) is the course you take to apply for a Possession and Acquisition Licence for non-restricted firearms, which is most hunting rifles and shotguns. The Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC) is the additional course for restricted firearms, primarily handguns. Both run under the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program, both are classroom courses with no live fire, and neither one can be tested out of. At Silvercore the CFSC on its own is $190 plus tax, the CRFSC on its own is $135 plus tax, and the two together are $270 plus tax.

I have taught these courses since 1994, and through Silvercore we have trained and certified most of the firearms instructors currently teaching in our area. What follows is what the courses actually are, which one you need, and what the day looks like when you walk in.

Continue on the Silvercore Path

If you are working out the bigger picture, these are the pieces around this page:

• Book the combined CFSC and CRFSC course
• How to Apply for a Firearms Licence (PAL) in BC
• How to Choose a CFSC/PAL Course in BC
• Pro Tips to Pass Your CFSC and CRFSC
• PAL vs RPAL: What Is the Difference?

What is the CFSC?

The Canadian Firearms Safety Course is the federal safety course for non-restricted firearms. Passing it is the training requirement for a non-restricted PAL. The RCMP standard sets a minimum of 8 hours of classroom instruction, not counting breaks or exams. At Silvercore we run it across two consecutive days, with testing included.

The course covers how firearms and ammunition work, safe handling, safe storage, safe transport, and Canadian firearms law. The practical portion walks you through every action type you will be tested on, including bolt action, lever action, pump action, semi-automatic, and break action.

What is the CRFSC?

The Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course is the federal safety course for restricted firearms. The RCMP standard sets a minimum of 6 hours, dropping to a minimum of 4 hours when the CRFSC is delivered within 7 days of the same provider's CFSC.

It covers what is specific to restricted firearms: how they are classified, the additional storage and transport rules that apply to them, and the handling tests for semi-automatic restricted firearms and revolvers.

The CRFSC does not replace the CFSC. A restricted licence sits on top of a non-restricted one, so you need both courses to apply for restricted privileges.

CFSC, CRFSC, or the combined course?

Here are the three options side by side, on the same points.

CFSC

• Who it is for: anyone who wants a non-restricted PAL, covering rifles and shotguns.
• Classroom minimum: 8 hours.
• Minimum age: 12, with written parent or guardian consent under 18.
• Testing: written test and practical handling test, 80% to pass each.
• Price at Silvercore: $190 plus tax.
• After you pass: you can apply for a non-restricted PAL.
• Live fire: none.

CRFSC

• Who it is for: people who want restricted privileges and already hold, or are taking, non-restricted training.
• Classroom minimum: 6 hours, dropping to 4 hours when taken within 7 days of the same provider's CFSC.
• Minimum age: 18.
• Testing: written test and practical handling test, 80% to pass each.
• Price at Silvercore: $135 plus tax.
• After you pass: you can apply for restricted privileges, once you also hold non-restricted.
• Live fire: none.

Combined CFSC and CRFSC

• Who it is for: most of our students, and anyone who wants both.
• Classroom minimum: both courses across at least two days. The standard does not permit them on the same day.
• Minimum age: 18.
• Testing: four tests in total, two per course.
• Price at Silvercore: $270 plus tax, a $55 saving.
• After you pass: you can apply for both on one application.
• Live fire: none.

Which one should you take?

My answer to nearly everyone is the same. If you are already putting in the time, do the non-restricted and the restricted together.

Three reasons. It is less time overall, because the minimum hours drop when the restricted course follows the non-restricted one inside a week. It is $55 cheaper than booking the two separately. And you do not know what the future holds for classifications, or for what you will want to shoot in five years. Once you are certified, you are certified. There is nothing wrong with holding a little more knowledge than you strictly need today.

If your only interest is hunting with a rifle or shotgun and you are certain that will not change, the CFSC alone is a perfectly sound choice.

There is no challenge option

This one catches experienced shooters out. You cannot test out of the CFSC or the CRFSC. The challenge route was removed in 2015, and it applies to everyone, including lifelong shooters and applicants from outside Canada. Everybody takes the full in-person course.

Some of what is on these tests is specific to the courses themselves. General firearms knowledge, even a lifetime of it, does not cover it. I grew up around firearms and I still learn something new on a regular basis.

There is no shooting in either course

I want to be blunt about this, because we correct it every week on the phone. The CFSC and the CRFSC are non-firing classroom courses. There is no range component. There is no live ammunition in the room. You will not need ear protection, and nobody is going to hand you a loaded firearm.

Everything is taught with disabled training firearms and dummy ammunition. Live firearms and live ammunition in the teaching area trigger automatic termination of an instructor's designation under the RCMP standard, so this is not a matter of house preference.

If anyone is advertising a one-day combined course, a guaranteed pass, or a range day built into your CFSC, what they are describing is not the federal curriculum. We have written a full checklist for evaluating any in-person course against the published standard in How to Choose a CFSC/PAL Course in BC.

Live fire happens after your licence, in marksmanship training and at Silvercore Club events.

CORE is not the CFSC

These two get tangled together constantly, and the mix-up costs people money.

CORE is British Columbia's hunter education program, administered provincially. It leads to your Fish and Wildlife ID and your BC hunting licence. The CFSC and CRFSC are federal safety courses that lead to your PAL, which is what makes it legal for you to possess the firearm in the first place.

Neither one substitutes for the other. To hunt with a firearm in BC under your own authority, you need both. If hunting is the goal, start with the CORE Hunter Education course and our guide on How to Hunt in BC alongside your firearms safety training.

One detail worth knowing early, because it saves you a fee: a CFSC course report exempts you from the practical portion of the CORE exam. A PAL card on its own does not. It has to be the course report.

What a course day actually looks like

Our home facility is the Silvercore classroom in Delta at #115 - 7198 Vantage Way. We also teach in the Lower Mainland at The Range Langley and Douglas College in New Westminster, and on Vancouver Island in Victoria, Nanaimo, Parksville, and the Comox Valley.

The RCMP standard caps class size at 12 students per instructor, requires disabled training firearms and dummy ammunition only, and prohibits skipping any portion of the course. In practice the day runs instruction, then hands-on work with the training firearms, then testing.

The single best thing you can do before you arrive is study the theory in advance. Our online firearms safety study course is $79 plus tax and covers every concept on the written test, broken into short sections with videos and review quizzes you can repeat as often as you like. It is included free with Silvercore Club membership. It does not replace the in-person course, and no online course can, but walking in with the concepts already in your head means your attention on the day goes entirely to the firearms in front of you.

We also keep a free playlist on our YouTube channel showing how to prove every action type you will be tested on. Physical copies of the course manuals are available in our shop, or free through the Government of Canada publications site.

If you want the detail on how to prepare for and pass the tests themselves, that is covered in Pro Tips to Pass Your CFSC and CRFSC.

What happens if you fail a test?

You can retake a failed exam after a minimum of one day. If more than 7 days pass before the retest, you have to retake the entire course, and the same applies if you fail the retest. Our retest fee is $30, and it is free if you purchased our online study course.

This is worth planning around rather than gambling on. Come prepared and you will not need to think about it.

After you pass

Your instructor issues you a course report showing successful completion. That report, not a certificate on the wall, is what goes with your PAL application to the RCMP.

From there the process is the application itself: the form, your photo, your references, the fee, and the mandatory waiting period for first-time applicants. If you are in BC, the whole path is laid out in How to Apply for a Firearms Licence (PAL) in BC, including the current fees and where each course runs. For the national picture, see How to Get Your PAL in Canada.

What you do not get on course day is a firearm. Until your licence is in your hand, you cannot take possession of a firearm or buy ammunition.

Where the Silvercore Club fits

Once you hold restricted privileges, moving a restricted firearm to the range requires an Authorization to Transport, and membership in an approved club is the usual route to one.

The Silvercore Club is RCMP approved as an ATT club. Membership is $59 CAD a year, it includes $5 million in third-party liability insurance, and it serves members across Canada and internationally rather than BC alone. Membership also includes free access to our online courses, including the CFSC and CRFSC study course. It is where the live fire and range activity happens, which is the part your classroom safety course deliberately does not include.

If your plan runs through restricted firearms, joining is the logical next step after your CRFSC. Join the Silvercore Club.

Travis Bader Silvercore Outdoors

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the CFSC and the CRFSC? The CFSC covers non-restricted firearms, mainly rifles and shotguns, and leads to a non-restricted PAL. The CRFSC covers restricted firearms, primarily handguns, and adds restricted privileges on top. You need both courses to apply for restricted privileges.

How long is the Canadian Firearms Safety Course? The RCMP standard requires a minimum of 8 hours of classroom instruction for the CFSC, not counting breaks or exams. Testing adds further time. Silvercore runs the course across two consecutive days.

How long is the CRFSC? A minimum of 6 hours, dropping to a minimum of 4 hours when it is delivered within 7 days of the same provider's CFSC. The CFSC and CRFSC cannot be taught on the same day.

How much does the CFSC cost in BC? At Silvercore the CFSC is $190 plus tax, the CRFSC is $135 plus tax, and the combined course covering both is $270 plus tax, which saves $55 over booking them separately. The federal licence application fee is paid to the RCMP separately.

Is there live shooting in the CFSC or CRFSC? No. Both are non-firing classroom courses taught with disabled training firearms and dummy ammunition. There is no range component and no live ammunition in the room.

Can I challenge the CFSC or test out of it? No. The challenge option was removed in 2015 and applies to everyone, including experienced shooters and applicants from outside Canada. Everyone takes the full in-person course.

Can I do the CFSC entirely online? No. Online study is excellent preparation and we recommend it, but the federal curriculum requires in-person instruction and an in-person practical handling test. There is no fully online path to a PAL in Canada.

What is the pass mark? You need at least 80% on the written test and 80% on the practical handling test. Each is graded on its own.

How old do you have to be? The CFSC is open from age 12. Anyone under 18 needs written consent from a parent or guardian, and a minor who passes takes the test in order to apply for a minor's licence rather than a full PAL. The CRFSC is 18 and over.

Do I need the CFSC to hunt in BC? Yes, if you intend to hunt with a firearm under your own authority. You need CORE for the hunting side and a PAL for the firearm. They are separate programs and neither replaces the other. You can hunt with a firearm without a PAL only under the direct supervision of a valid PAL holder.

What do I need to bring to the course? Yourself, something to write with, and a lunch. Everything used in the course is supplied. Do not bring a firearm or any ammunition.

More questions of this kind are answered in our firearms safety course FAQ.