Students practise safe handling with training long guns during a Silvercore firearm safety course

Oct 8, 2026

Information & Education

Firearm Safety Courses at BC Schools, Colleges and Places of Worship

By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors.

Last updated: 8 October 2026

Firearm safety courses can still run on school, post-secondary and public worship property in British Columbia. The Firearm Violence Prevention Act (FVPA) bans firearms on that property, and the Designated Property Regulation exempts anyone who possesses a firearm or imitation firearm there to provide or take a course respecting firearm safety or maintenance (B.C. Reg. 65/2026, s. 17). The exemption has been in force since 1 October 2026, and no Cabinet decision is needed to use it. You need written approval from the property's relevant entity, and you must meet conditions on instructors, ammunition, transport and storage.

This post is for CFSC and CRFSC instructors, CORE examiners, and the school districts, independent schools, colleges and congregations that host them. It explains BC provincial law in plain language. It is not legal advice.

No Cabinet Decision Needed

I have taught the Canadian Firearms Safety Course since 1994. Silvercore teaches the CFSC and CRFSC and CORE hunter education. Courses like these run in classrooms, gyms and halls, and some of those rooms are now designated property.

The Province's FVPA page says its regulatory exemptions are intended to reduce the impact on lawful firearm activities, and gives providing firearms safety courses as an example. For courses, that exemption is section 17 of the Designated Property Regulation.

Section 10 of the Act lists designated officials, such as police and conservation officers, and lets Cabinet add others as prescribed persons (Act s. 10(1)(f)). It is easy to read that as the route for course providers. It exempts no one from the designated property ban. Section 10 covers only the unsafe use, vehicle, discharge, driving and public disturbance offences in sections 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 (Act s. 10(2)), and the General Regulation prescribes no one under s. 10(1)(f). The route for courses is the Designated Property Regulation.

Training Firearms Are Firearms

Training firearms that have been disabled for classroom use, without being deactivated to the federal standards policy, are deemed firearms by the RCMP CFP. That is a direct quote from the RCMP Registrar as to how the Canadian Firearms Program treats them. Every rule below that applies to a firearm applies to them. Anything else in the kit that could reasonably be mistaken for a firearm, such as a realistic plastic training gun, is an imitation firearm (Act s. 1), and the exemption covers it too (DP Reg. s. 17).

Where the Exemption Applies

Act s. 18 bans firearms and imitation firearms on six kinds of designated property: child care, court, hospital, post-secondary, public worship and school property. The course exemption covers three of them: post-secondary, public worship and school property (DP Reg. s. 17(a)). It does not reach a court, a hospital or a child care property on its own.

School property. Property or a vehicle that a board of education, the francophone education authority or an independent school authority owns, leases, rents, manages or operates and uses, in whole or in part, to provide an educational program (Act s. 25). A school gym rented out on a Saturday is still school property. K–12 property run by a First Nation or another Indigenous entity is designated as school property too (DP Reg. s. 9).
Post-secondary property. Property that a post-secondary institution owns, leases, rents, manages or operates and uses to provide a post-secondary program (Act s. 23(2)). That includes public universities, colleges and institutes, private training institutions under the Private Training Act, degree programs offered with consent under the Degree Authorization Act, and theological programs provided under an Act (Act s. 23(1)). When a program runs anywhere on a campus, the whole campus is designated property. Off campus, only the part of the property where the program is provided is covered (Act s. 23(3)).
Public worship property. Property an entity owns, leases, rents, manages or operates and uses to provide a place of public worship. A private residence is excluded (Act s. 24). If a property is public worship property only because it is rented occasionally for services, possessing a firearm there is exempt while it is not being used for worship, and no approval is needed (DP Reg. s. 68). That does not help where the property is designated for another reason, such as a school gym a congregation rents on Sundays.

What the Exemption Requires

The exemption applies only when every condition in sections 17 to 20 of the Designated Property Regulation is met.

Written approval from the relevant entity

The relevant entity must approve in writing (DP Reg. s. 5, 17(c)).

School: the board of education, francophone education authority or independent school authority responsible for the property. For Indigenous K–12 property, the Indigenous entity responsible for it (DP Reg. s. 6(5)).
Post-secondary: the institution (DP Reg. s. 6(3)).
Public worship: the owner or operator (DP Reg. s. 6(4)).

The relevant entity can authorize an employee or agent, such as a principal or facilities manager, to give the approval. That authorization must also be in writing (DP Reg. s. 5(3), (4)). The approval can impose conditions stricter than the regulation, and you must follow them (DP Reg. s. 5(2), 17(d)(i)).

Approval from every relevant entity on a shared property

Some properties hold more than one kind of designated property, and the course then needs written approval from the relevant entity for each kind (DP Reg. s. 7). The common case is a school or campus with a licensed child care program for children under 13 operating on it: approval comes from the child care licensee as well as the board or institution (DP Reg. s. 6(1)). A hospital on the same property adds its board of management, or for a private hospital its licensee (DP Reg. s. 6(2)).

A CFO-designated instructor for the CFSC and CRFSC

Anyone who possesses a firearm on the property to instruct a course required under the federal Firearms Act must have been designated as an instructor by the chief firearms officer under that Act (DP Reg. s. 18(1)). The CFSC and CRFSC are those courses (Firearms Act s. 7(1)(a), 7(2)(a)). CORE is a provincial hunter education course. The Firearms Act does not require it, so s. 18(1) does not apply to it.

Unloaded firearms and federal licences

Every firearm must be unloaded, and anyone possessing one must hold the licences, permits and authorizations the Firearms Act requires, if any (DP Reg. s. 18(2)). Students handling an instructor's firearm under direct and immediate supervision need no licence of their own under federal law (Criminal Code s. 91(4)(a)).

No ammunition on the property

No one relying on the exemption may carry ammunition in or on the property (DP Reg. s. 19(2)). No live ammunition is already a requirement of the instructor and examiner agreements for the CFSC/CRFSC and provincial CORE programs.

Locked, opaque cases on the property

The Designated Property Regulation sets its own transport rule for the walk between your vehicle and the room. On the property, each firearm must be unloaded and in a locked, opaque container with no ammunition in it, and each imitation firearm must be in a locked, opaque container (DP Reg. s. 19(1), 69(2), (3)). That applies to non-restricted training firearms too. Federal law requires only that a non-restricted firearm be unloaded while it is transported (SOR/98-209 s. 10(1)), so case them before you arrive. Carry the kit promptly to the room where the course runs, and promptly back out when it ends (DP Reg. s. 69(4), (5)). These rules apply on the way to and from the room. They do not apply while you are providing or taking the course (DP Reg. s. 2(b)). Inside your vehicle on the property, the vehicle exemption covers you, and it uses the federal transport rules (DP Reg. s. 67(3)).

Storage only by the course provider, with separate approval

Only the person providing the course may store a firearm or imitation firearm on the property, and only with the relevant entity's approval to store it (DP Reg. s. 20, 70(2)). On a shared property, that storage approval comes from every relevant entity (DP Reg. s. 5(1)(b)). The container must be opaque, locked and built so it cannot readily be broken open. It must sit in a locked room, or be securely attached to a non-portable structure so it cannot readily be removed (DP Reg. s. 70(3)). Students cannot store firearms on the property.

Your vehicle in the parking lot

A vehicle temporarily on designated property falls under a separate exemption, as long as you hold the federal licences, transport firearms to the federal standard, and keep imitation firearms in a locked trunk or compartment, or in a locked, opaque container if the vehicle has none (DP Reg. s. 67; Gen. Reg. s. 4). Our guide to the FVPA covers that exemption, and our guide to transporting firearms in Canada covers the federal rules.

What a breach costs

Possessing a firearm or imitation firearm on designated property without an exemption is an offence (Act s. 18, 65(1)(h)). For a first offence, the maximum for an individual is a $5,000 fine, 12 months in jail, or both, and for a company or other organization a $100,000 fine (Act s. 65(2)). Section 18 has no ticket amount, so a charge goes to court (Violation Ticket Administration and Fines Regulation, Sch. 2, as amended by B.C. Reg. 67/2026). A conviction or guilty plea can lead to a court order prohibiting you from possessing firearms or imitation firearms (Act s. 68; Gen. Reg. s. 46(g)).

A Checklist to Take to the School District

Confirm what the property is. Ask whether it is school, post-secondary or public worship property, and whether a licensed child care program or a hospital operates on the same property.
Find out who can sign. The approval comes from the board, authority, institution, or owner or operator. If a principal, facilities manager or rental office will sign, ask for a copy of the written authorization that lets them (DP Reg. s. 5(3), (4)).
Get the approval in writing. Have it name you and your organization, the course (CFSC, CRFSC or CORE), the street address and room, and the dates, and cite section 17 of the Firearm Violence Prevention (Designated Property) Regulation.
Cover any child care or hospital on site. If a licensed child care program or a hospital operates on the property, get written approval from its licensee or board of management as well (DP Reg. s. 6, 7).
Ask for storage approval if the kit stays overnight. For a two-day course, put approval to store in the same letter, from every relevant entity, and see the locked room or fixed anchor point before day one (DP Reg. s. 20, 70).
Read the conditions. A condition in the approval binds you the same way the regulation does (DP Reg. s. 17(d)(i)).
Bring your paperwork. Carry copies of the approval and any authorization behind it, your CFO instructor designation for the CFSC or CRFSC, your PAL, and the registration certificates and transport authorizations the Firearms Act requires for the kit.
Pack for the property. Firearms unloaded, in locked, opaque cases with no ammunition inside. Imitation firearms in locked, opaque cases. No ammunition anywhere in the kit (DP Reg. s. 19(2)).
Keep the kit attended. During breaks, keep an instructor with it, or lock it away under the storage approval (DP Reg. s. 20, 70(3)).
Move it promptly. Straight from the vehicle to the room, and straight back at the end (DP Reg. s. 69(4), (5)).

Questions the Regulation Leaves Open

The regulation leaves several terms undefined that an instructor has to apply on course day. The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General has not addressed them publicly, and no court has ruled on them. Here is what the text says, and how we handle each one until it is answered.

Does CORE count as "a course respecting firearm safety"?

Section 17 covers "a course respecting firearm safety or maintenance". The regulation does not define the phrase and names no course. The CFSC and CRFSC fit it plainly. CORE is BC's hunter education course. It covers hunting regulations, animal identification and the safe handling of non-restricted firearms, and its exam includes a practical firearms handling test. Whether a course that teaches firearm safety among other subjects is "a course respecting firearm safety" is a question the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General has not addressed publicly, and no court has ruled on it. The Province's FVPA page gives firearms safety courses as an example of what the exemptions are for, and does not mention CORE.

One step helps right away: ask the relevant entity to name CORE in its written approval. That documents what the host approved. It does not settle whether CORE qualifies, because an approval cannot widen the regulation (DP Reg. s. 5(2)(b)).

Where the host runs the course as one of its own programs, two other exemptions can also apply. Each needs the same written approval.

School property: firearms possessed to provide or take part in an educational program or extracurricular activity (DP Reg. s. 60 to 63). K–12 students may handle firearms only under the close personal supervision of an adult who is not a K–12 student, and only such an adult may carry them onto the property or store them there.
Post-secondary property: firearms possessed to provide or take part in an activity relating to a post-secondary program (DP Reg. s. 51 to 54).

Both are built around the host's own programs. A public course that an outside instructor runs in a rented room is a poor fit for either.

What counts as a "campus"?

When a post-secondary program runs anywhere within a campus, all of the property within the campus is designated property. Off campus, only the part of the property where the program runs is covered (Act s. 23(3)). Neither the Act nor the regulations define "campus". For a college that leases two floors of an office building, the answer decides whether two floors are designated or the whole building. It also decides whether a licensed child care centre elsewhere on the site makes the property a shared one that needs the child care licensee's approval too (DP Reg. s. 7). Ask the institution how it defines its campus, and have the approval cover the whole site.

How long is "temporarily"?

The vehicle exemption covers a vehicle that is "temporarily" on designated property (DP Reg. s. 67(1)(a)). The word is undefined. A stop to unload the kit fits. A vehicle parked through a two-day course with other firearms locked inside is less clear. Bring only the firearms the course needs.

Does ammunition left in your vehicle count?

No one relying on the course exemption may "carry" ammunition in or on the property (DP Reg. s. 19(2)). The regulation does not say whether ammunition locked in a parked vehicle counts. Hunting ammunition that rides in a truck all season is the obvious case. Leave it at home on course days.

When does a kit become "stored"?

Storing firearms on the property needs its own approval (DP Reg. s. 20, 70(2)), and the transport rules do not apply while you are providing or taking the course (DP Reg. s. 2(b)). The regulation does not say when a kit left in the room over lunch stops being in use and starts being stored. Keep an instructor with the kit during breaks, or cover breaks in the storage approval.

How fast is "promptly"?

Firearms must be carried "promptly" from the vehicle to the room and "promptly" back out (DP Reg. s. 69(4), (5)). The word is undefined. Go straight from the vehicle to the room and back, with no stops along the way.

Can one approval cover a season of courses?

The approval must be in writing (DP Reg. s. 5(4), 17(c)). The regulation says nothing about how long an approval lasts or how many courses it can cover. Ask the school district to approve a term or a year of dates in one letter, and list every date so the approval matches each course on its face.

Before You Book the Room

Send this post to the school district, college or congregation with your request, and keep a copy of the approval with your kit.

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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 8 October 2026. It is not legal advice. For advice on your situation, speak to a lawyer.