By Travis Bader, founder of Silvercore Outdoors.
Last updated: 24 October 2026
Yes. The M1 Garand is not named in the prohibited or restricted firearm lists of the federal classification regulations, so it is classed by the Criminal Code tests, which make a Garand with a barrel of 470 mm or longer a non-restricted firearm. Magazines originally designed for the Garand also have their own written exception to the five-cartridge limit on semi-automatic long gun magazines.
Is the M1 Garand on the prohibited list?
No. The firearms Canada prohibits by name are listed in Part 1 of the schedule to the Classification Regulations, SOR/98-462. Part 1 grew on 1 May 2020 (SOR/2020-96), 5 December 2024 (SOR/2024-248) and 7 March 2025 (SOR/2025-86). The consolidated text, current to 30 September 2026 and last amended on 7 March 2025, does not use the word "Garand" anywhere in Part 1 or in Part 2, the restricted list.
Two nearby designs are on the list. Item 67 of Part 1 prohibits the BM 59 rifle and its variants, including the Beretta BM 59 and the Springfield Armory BM 59 Alpine. Item 89 prohibits the US Rifle, M14 and its variants.
How is an M1 Garand classified?
Because no regulation names it, the M1 Garand is classified by the definitions in section 84(1) of the Criminal Code. A firearm that is not prohibited is restricted if it "has a barrel less than 470 mm in length" and "is capable of discharging centre-fire ammunition in a semi-automatic manner". A firearm is also restricted if it is designed or adapted to be fired when reduced to a length of less than 660 mm "by folding, telescoping or otherwise". A firearm that is neither prohibited nor restricted is non-restricted.
For a semi-automatic centre-fire rifle such as the Garand, that gives three outcomes:
- Barrel of 470 mm or longer, fixed stock: non-restricted.
- Barrel shorter than 470 mm: restricted.
- Cut down from a rifle to less than 660 mm overall, or to a barrel under 457 mm: prohibited under paragraph (b) of the "prohibited firearm" definition.
Section 84(2) measures barrel length "from the muzzle of the barrel to and including the chamber", and it excludes muzzle devices such as flash suppressors and recoil reducers.
Does the five-round magazine limit apply to the M1 Garand?
No. Part 4, section 3(1)(a) of the schedule to SOR/98-462 makes a prohibited device of any cartridge magazine "that is capable of containing more than five cartridges of the type for which the magazine was originally designed" when it is designed or manufactured for use in "a semi-automatic firearm other than a semi-automatic handgun". Section 3(2) then sets out exceptions. It reads: "Paragraph (1)(a) does not include any cartridge magazine that (a) was originally designed or manufactured for use in a firearm that ... (iii) is commonly known as the U.S. Rifle M1 (Garand) including the Beretta M1 Garand rifle, the Breda M1 Garand rifle and the Springfield Armoury M1 Garand rifle;"
Three points follow from that wording:
- The exception covers magazines "originally designed or manufactured for use in" the Garand. A magazine designed for another rifle does not gain the exception because it happens to fit.
- The exception names no cartridge count. The Lee Enfield exception in the same subsection is capped at 10 cartridges.
- Paragraphs (b) to (f) of section 3(2) apply only to magazines that are "not a reproduction". Paragraph (a), which holds the Garand, has no such condition.
The Criminal Code defines a cartridge magazine as "a device or container from which ammunition may be fed into the firing chamber of a firearm". If the Garand's en bloc clip counts as a cartridge magazine under that definition, the Garand exception covers it. If it does not, the five-cartridge limit, which applies only to cartridge magazines, does not reach it. A clip designed for the Garand is outside the limit on either reading.
What about the M1 Carbine?
The M1 Carbine is a different firearm with a different answer. Item 236 of Part 1, in force since 7 March 2025 under SOR/2025-86, prohibits "the US Carbine M1, and any variant or modified version of it", followed by a list of named versions that includes the Auto Ordnance M1 Carbine. Since SOR/2026-114 (registered 5 June 2026), the amnesty for firearms prohibited in 2020, 2024 and 2025 ends 90 days after Supreme Court of Canada appeals 41858 to 41861 conclude (the latest of them). The individual buyback declaration window ran 19 January to 31 March 2026 and has closed.
What do you need to own an M1 Garand?
A licence. Section 91(1) of the Criminal Code makes it an offence to possess a non-restricted, restricted or prohibited firearm without a licence under which you may possess it, and a restricted or prohibited firearm also needs a registration certificate. A non-restricted Garand needs a PAL. A Garand that is restricted because of a short barrel needs a restricted PAL and registration.
PAL course: the first step to owning a Garand
The PAL starts with the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC). At Silvercore the CFSC is $190 plus tax over two consecutive days, and the combined CFSC and restricted PAL course (CRFSC) is $270 plus tax over two consecutive days or three consecutive evenings. Book the PAL course.
Frequently asked questions
Is the M1 Garand restricted in Canada?
Not by name. Neither Part 1 nor Part 2 of the schedule to SOR/98-462 names the M1 Garand, so its class depends on the Criminal Code section 84(1) tests. A semi-automatic centre-fire rifle with a barrel of 470 mm or longer that cannot be fired below 660 mm overall is non-restricted, and a barrel under 470 mm makes it restricted.
Are M1 Garand clips legal in Canada?
Yes. Section 3(2)(a)(iii) of Part 4 of the schedule to SOR/98-462 excludes from the five-cartridge limit any cartridge magazine originally designed or manufactured for use in the U.S. Rifle M1 (Garand), including the Beretta, Breda and Springfield Armoury M1 Garand rifles. The exception names no cartridge count and has no reproduction condition, so an en bloc clip designed for the Garand is outside the five-cartridge limit whether or not it is treated as a cartridge magazine.
Is the M1 Carbine banned in Canada?
Yes. Item 236 of Part 1 of the schedule to SOR/98-462 has prohibited the US Carbine M1 and its variants since 7 March 2025. The amnesty for firearms prohibited in 2025 ends 90 days after Supreme Court of Canada appeals 41858 to 41861 conclude, under SOR/2026-114.
Do I need a PAL to buy an M1 Garand?
Yes. Criminal Code section 91(1) makes possession of any firearm without a licence an offence. A Garand with a barrel of 470 mm or longer is non-restricted and needs a PAL, and one with a shorter barrel is restricted and needs a restricted PAL and a registration certificate.
