How to Donate Unwanted Firearms in BC and Canada

By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors.

Last updated: 28 October 2026

You can donate unwanted firearms to a licensed firearms business, and Silvercore takes them in from across Canada. The Firearms Act treats a donation as a transfer, and every transfer has to go to someone licensed to receive that kind of firearm, so a licensed business is a lawful destination when nobody in your circle holds the right licence. Silvercore accepts non-restricted, restricted and prohibited firearms, ammunition in any quantity, magazines and prohibited devices, working or not. We collect throughout the Lower Mainland and coordinate pickup elsewhere in Canada. Leave the firearm where it is and call us before anyone moves it.

Why do people donate firearms to Silvercore?

I get these calls regularly. Many come from owners who no longer have the time or energy to keep up with rules that keep changing, and who want the firearm in good hands before a lapse turns into a problem. Others want to support the work we do teaching new shooters, and some hold a firearm that may not work, or that a previous owner altered, where paying a gun store to inspect it is not worth it.

The common thread is that they do not want the firearm destroyed. A donation keeps it in use.

Can I donate a firearm if I do not have a licence?

Yes, if the firearm came to you through an estate or another operation of law. Donating it to a licensed business is one of the lawful ways to dispose of it. If you found a firearm or are holding one for someone else, call us or the police non-emergency line before anyone moves it.

Section 91 of the Criminal Code makes it an offence to possess a firearm without a licence, and subsection 91(4)(b) sets out the exception that covers most inherited firearms: a person who "comes into possession" of a firearm "by the operation of law" and who, within a reasonable period, "lawfully disposes of it" or gets a licence and, for a restricted or prohibited firearm, a registration certificate. An estate is the common example. The RCMP states that an executor "can possess firearms left in an estate while an estate is being settled" and is responsible for keeping them safely stored until they are disposed of or transferred. An executor under a court order prohibiting firearm possession cannot take possession of them.

Two rules follow from that:

• Do not give the firearm to a relative or friend who lacks the right licence. Section 23 of the Firearms Act allows a transfer of a non-restricted firearm only where the person receiving it holds a licence to acquire and possess one, and section 23.2 sets a stricter process for restricted and prohibited firearms.
• Do not drive it anywhere until we have confirmed the route. Moving a firearm is possessing it, the federal transport regulations add conditions on top of that, and restricted and prohibited firearms also need an Authorization to Transport.

Who can bring the firearm to Silvercore?

That depends on the firearm's class and on who holds a licence.

• A licensed owner can bring a non-restricted rifle or shotgun in unloaded, locked in the trunk or out of sight in a locked vehicle whenever the vehicle is left unattended, under section 10 of the storage and transport regulations.
• A restricted or prohibited firearm also has to be unloaded, locked with a secure locking device and inside a locked opaque container (sections 11 and 12 of the same regulations), and its owner needs an Authorization to Transport from the Chief Firearms Officer that covers the trip (section 19 of the Firearms Act). The purposes allowed for prohibited firearms are limited, so we confirm the Authorization to Transport with you before anything moves.
• A friend or family member who holds a valid PAL can bring a non-restricted rifle or shotgun to us on the owner's or executor's behalf. Section 33 of the Firearms Act allows a firearm to be lent to a person the lender has reasonable grounds to believe holds a licence for that kind of firearm. The transfer itself is still from the owner or the estate, so we confirm this route with you before the firearm moves.
• Licensed owners anywhere in Canada can ship some firearms to us, depending on the class. We give you the exact shipping instruction for yours.
• When none of those fit, we come to you. We collect throughout the Lower Mainland, and elsewhere in Canada we coordinate pickup through a properly licensed business in your area.

Call us first in every case. We confirm the route for your firearm before anything moves.

What can I donate?

• Non-restricted rifles and shotguns.
• Restricted firearms.
• Prohibited firearms with a registration certificate, including grandfathered handguns, other than firearms covered by the federal amnesty orders.
• Ammunition in any quantity, including old ammunition and ammunition you cannot identify. Section 24 of the Firearms Act allows ammunition and prohibited devices to be transferred to a business licensed for them.
• Magazines, including magazines that are prohibited devices.
• Firearms that do not work, that you cannot identify, or that a previous owner altered.

Handguns deserve a note. Section 12.2 of the Firearms Act bars issuing a handgun registration certificate to an individual, so a handgun in an estate cannot pass to a family member unless that person is exempt under section 97.1. A licensed business is one of the lawful places it can go. Our post on what happens to a handgun when the owner dies covers the estate rules in full.

Firearms on the federal prohibition lists since May 2020 follow different rules. They are covered by amnesty orders that permit a narrow list of actions, such as deactivation, export and delivery to police, and that amnesty now ends 90 days after the Supreme Court of Canada appeals on those prohibitions end by judgment, dismissal or discontinuance (SOR/2026-114). The amnesty orders do not allow an individual to transfer these firearms to a business, so they are not accepted as donations. If you hold one, call us before you do anything with it and we explain the routes the amnesty allows. Our post on the October 30 amnesty deadline explains what changed.

What happens to a donated firearm?

Every firearm donated to Silvercore goes toward promoting safe and responsible firearms use. Many become the firearms new shooters handle in our courses. Others support our live-fire training and our youth and new shooter events.

Donations are unpaid, and no tax receipt is issued. You get written confirmation for your records: the firearm identified by serial number, the date, and where it went. Keep that piece of paper. It is your record that the firearm left your hands lawfully.

Do I have to go to the police to get rid of a gun?

No. Surrender to police is one lawful option, and police dispose of the firearm. Section 26 of the Firearms Act allows restricted and prohibited firearms to be transferred to a police force. If you choose that route, call the non-emergency line first. Burnaby RCMP, for example, asks people not to bring firearms to the detachment and sends an officer to pick them up.

Donating to Silvercore is the option for owners who want the firearm kept in use. We arrange the transfer and handle the Canadian Firearms Program paperwork.

What if the owner has died?

The executor completes RCMP form 6016, the Declaration of Authority to Act on Behalf of an Estate, and provides it with a death certificate, letters of probate, or an official letter from police or a coroner. A beneficiary who receives a firearm must be at least 18 and hold a valid PAL. Where no eligible beneficiary exists, the RCMP lists transfer to a licensed business, police disposal, export and deactivation as options. We handle estates the same way we handle any donation, and we work through the transfer paperwork with the executor.

How do I donate a firearm to Silvercore?

1. Leave the firearm where it is, unloaded and stored. Do not move it to show anyone.
2. Write down what you have: make, model, calibre, serial number, and whether it is a rifle, a shotgun or a handgun. If you do not know, say so.
3. Email [email protected] or call the Delta office at 604-940-7785 and tell us it is a donation.
4. We confirm how the firearm gets to us: you bring it in, a licensed friend brings it in, you ship it, or we arrange pickup.
5. We complete the transfer with the Canadian Firearms Program and send you written confirmation.

Stay ahead of the next rule change

Many of the people who donate firearms to us say the same thing: the rules kept changing and they lost track. Silvercore Club members get regulatory updates by email when the rules change, so the change reaches them before it becomes a problem. Anyone can join, with or without a PAL. Join the Silvercore Club.

Frequently asked questions

Can I donate a gun in BC without a licence?

Yes. A person who came into possession of a firearm through an estate or another operation of law may hold it for a reasonable period while they lawfully dispose of it, and donating it to a licensed business is a lawful disposal. If you found the firearm or are holding it for someone else, that exception does not apply. In every case, leave the firearm where it is and call Silvercore at 604-940-7785 before anyone moves it.

Can I surrender a firearm without going to the police?

Yes. You can donate it to a licensed firearms business such as Silvercore. We collect throughout the Lower Mainland, coordinate pickup elsewhere in Canada, and handle the transfer paperwork with the Canadian Firearms Program.

Do I get paid or a tax receipt for donating a firearm?

No. Donations to Silvercore are unpaid and no tax receipt is issued. You receive written confirmation with the serial number, the date and where the firearm went.

Will Silvercore take a firearm that does not work?

Yes. We accept firearms in any condition, including firearms that do not work, that you cannot identify, or that a previous owner altered.

Can I donate ammunition and magazines?

Yes. Silvercore accepts ammunition in any quantity, including old and unidentified ammunition, and magazines, including magazines that are prohibited devices.

What happens to an inherited firearm if nobody in the family has a licence?

The executor may hold it while the estate is settled and must keep it safely stored. It cannot be given to a family member without the right licence. The executor can donate it to a licensed business such as Silvercore or arrange police disposal.

The Silvercore Path

• What to do with firearms you no longer want
• What happens to a handgun when the owner dies
• What to do with your 12-6 prohibited firearms
• The October 30 amnesty deadline is gone
• Firearm storage laws in Canada
• Transporting firearms in Canada
• Firearms donation and removal service
• The Silvercore Club

Travis Bader, Silvercore Outdoors