You passed your course, you got your licence in the mail, and now you are holding a PAL and wondering what it actually lets you do. I answer this question in nearly every class. People focus so hard on getting the licence that they do not always stop to think about what it permits once they have it.

So here is the practical picture. What a PAL lets you buy, own, store, transport, and hunt with, the sports it opens up, where it can even help your career, and where the line sits between a regular PAL and the restricted side of it.

Continue on the Silvercore Path

If you are still mapping out the bigger picture, these cover the rest of it:

• How to Get Your PAL in Canada (start here)
• PAL vs RPAL: Which One Do You Need?
• How Much Does a PAL Cost in Canada?

What can you do with a PAL in Canada?

A PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence) is what makes you legally allowed to buy, own, and use firearms in Canada. The standard PAL covers non-restricted firearms, which is most rifles and shotguns, the kind of guns used for hunting and most sport shooting.

With it you can buy non-restricted firearms and the ammunition for them, possess them, transport them, and use them lawfully for hunting and target shooting. What it does not do is automatically give you access to restricted firearms like handguns. That requires the restricted side of the licence, the RPAL, which I will get to below.

Think of the PAL as the foundation. It opens the door to the large majority of firearms ownership in Canada. The restricted licence builds on top of it.

What firearms can you buy with a non-restricted PAL?

A non-restricted PAL covers non-restricted firearms: most common rifles and shotguns. This is the category that covers hunting rifles, shotguns for waterfowl and upland birds, and a great many sport and range guns.

You can buy these firearms from a licensed retailer, buy and sell privately with another licence holder, and purchase ammunition for them. The classification of any specific firearm (non-restricted, restricted, or prohibited) is determined federally and can change, so if you are ever unsure what class a particular model falls into, confirm it before you buy rather than assuming.

What about restricted firearms (RPAL)?

Handguns and certain other firearms are classed as restricted, and to own those you need the restricted version of the licence, commonly called the RPAL. The restricted course (CRFSC) is what qualifies you for it, and it builds on the non-restricted course.

The RPAL adds privileges, and it also adds responsibilities. Restricted firearms carry stricter storage and transport rules than non-restricted, and you cannot simply take a restricted firearm wherever you like. That is where an Authorization to Transport comes in, covered further down.

If you are weighing whether you need the restricted side at all, I wrote a full comparison here: PAL vs RPAL: Which One Do You Need?.

What competition and shooting disciplines can you get into?

A PAL is your entry into the sport side of shooting, and there is far more of it than most new owners realize. On the non-restricted side you have disciplines like precision rifle and long-range shooting, trap, skeet, and sporting clays, service rifle, and three-gun. Pick up the restricted licence and handgun sports open up too, from practical and action shooting to bullseye.

Each discipline has its own community, its own pace, and its own learning curve, and most of them are a lot more welcoming than people expect. Some are casual range days. Others are organized competitive series with national and international levels. The common thread is that they reward training and consistency over expensive equipment, which is something I have believed and seen proven my whole life.

If you are serious about any of the restricted disciplines, you will need range access and the membership and transport eligibility that goes with it. That is one of the places Club membership earns its place, covered below.

Can a PAL help your career?

This is a part people overlook. A PAL on your resume makes you eligible for work that simply is not open to someone without one. It is a prerequisite that signals you have been vetted and trained, and it opens doors across a surprising range of fields.

A few where it matters: the film and television industry, outdoor adventure and hunting tourism, armoured car and security work, mineral exploration, forestry and surveying in bear country, trapping and predator control, and the growing world of content creation in the firearms and outdoor space. Some of these use a firearm directly. Others involve working in remote country where the ability to carry one for wildlife protection is part of the job. Either way, the licence is the baseline credential that gets you in the door.

To be clear, most of these roles require additional training, licensing, or employer-specific authorization on top of the PAL. The PAL alone does not make you a film armourer or an armoured car guard. But it is very often the prerequisite that has to come first, and not having it takes you out of the running before you start.

This is ground we know well. Silvercore builds custom training programs for government agencies and for public and private organizations, and we have worked with sectors from law enforcement to mineral exploration to film. The "I have my PAL, where can it take me" question is one we have answered for a lot of people over the years, and the honest answer is: further than most expect.

How do I store firearms legally with a PAL?

The core rule is simple to say and worth getting right: a stored firearm must be unloaded, and it must be secured so it cannot be fired or readily accessed. In practice that means a secure locking device such as a trigger or cable lock, or removing the bolt, or keeping the firearm in a securely locked container or room. Ammunition can be stored in the same locked container as the firearm or separately. A loaded firearm is never considered properly stored.

Restricted firearms carry stricter requirements on top of that. The details matter, and they are exactly the kind of thing you do not want to get wrong, so rather than paraphrase the regulations loosely I will point you to the full walkthrough.

We keep a plain-language reference on storage, transport, and display here: Firearms Storage and Transport Laws in Canada. For the official source, the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program publishes its guidance at rcmp.ca. When in doubt, the RCMP page is the authority.

How do I transport firearms legally?

For non-restricted firearms, transport is straightforward: the firearm must be unloaded. With a valid PAL you do not need any special authorization to take a non-restricted firearm to the range or into the field.

Restricted firearms are different. They must be unloaded, secured with a locking device, and kept in a locked opaque case, and you generally need an Authorization to Transport to move them. That is the next question.

What is an ATT and when do I need one?

An Authorization to Transport (ATT) is permission to move a restricted firearm between specific places, such as your home and an approved range. You do not need one for non-restricted firearms. You do need one for restricted firearms, and it is issued by the provincial or territorial Chief Firearms Officer, not by us and not automatically by your licence.

Here is the part that trips people up. To be eligible for the ATT that lets you take a restricted firearm to the range, you generally need to belong to a club or range. This is where Silvercore Club membership does real work, which I will cover next.

What can the Silvercore Club do for PAL and RPAL holders?

If you are getting into restricted firearms, or you plan to take the licence seriously over the long term, the Silvercore Club is the infrastructure that makes the rest of it practical. It is $59 a year, and here is what it actually does for a licence holder.

It supports your ATT eligibility. The Silvercore Club is RCMP approved for the purpose of ATT and restricted PAL eligibility, which is the membership piece the Chief Firearms Officer looks for. To be clear, membership makes you eligible. It does not guarantee issuance, because the ATT and the RPAL are decisions the CFO makes, not us. But without a qualifying club membership, that path is closed before it starts.

It carries $5 million in liability insurance for members, which matters the moment you are handling firearms regularly.

It includes our online courses free, which is a genuine saving if you are still completing your training or want to brush up.

And it comes with partner discounts across optics, gear, cases, and more, the kind of thing a new owner buys anyway.

For someone heading toward restricted ownership, the Club is not an optional extra. It is part of how the activity works at all.

Join the Silvercore Club

Can I hunt with a PAL?

Yes, with one addition. A PAL covers the firearm side. Hunting also requires the appropriate provincial hunting licence, and in British Columbia that means completing the CORE program (the Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education hunter education course) before you can buy a hunting licence.

So the full picture for a BC hunter is: a PAL for the firearm, and CORE for the hunting credential. If hunting is your goal, our CORE hunter education course is the credential side of that. One note worth saying plainly: hunting with a restricted firearm, which includes handguns, is not permitted. Hunting is done with non-restricted firearms.

Can I lend or sell a firearm to another PAL holder?

Yes, within the rules. You can sell or transfer a non-restricted firearm to another properly licensed individual, and you can lend a non-restricted firearm to someone who holds the appropriate licence. The licence is what matters: the person on the other end needs to be lawfully entitled to possess that class of firearm. Restricted firearms have additional transfer requirements. If you are doing a private transfer, confirm the other party's licence is valid first. It protects both of you.

Haven't taken your course yet?

Everything above assumes you already hold your PAL. If you do not yet, or you only hold the non-restricted side and want the restricted privileges, the training is the starting point. Our combined CFSC/CRFSC course covers both in one sitting and qualifies you for the full licence.

The bottom line

A PAL opens up the large majority of firearms ownership in Canada: buying, owning, transporting, and hunting with non-restricted firearms, a whole world of shooting sports, and eligibility for work that is closed to people without one. The restricted side, handguns and the rest, sits behind the RPAL and brings stricter storage, stricter transport, and the ATT requirement. If you are going down that road, club membership is part of the structure, not a nice-to-have. Get your storage right, confirm classifications before you buy, keep the other party's licence in mind on any transfer, and the licence does what it is meant to do.

Travis Bader Silvercore Outdoors

FAQ BLOCK

What can you do with a PAL in Canada? A PAL lets you legally buy, own, transport, and use non-restricted firearms such as most rifles and shotguns, and buy ammunition for them. Handguns and other restricted firearms require the restricted version of the licence, the RPAL.

Do I need an ATT to transport my firearms? Not for non-restricted firearms, which only need to be unloaded during transport. You do need an Authorization to Transport for restricted firearms, issued by the provincial or territorial Chief Firearms Officer. Club or range membership is generally required to be eligible for it.

How do I store firearms legally? A stored firearm must be unloaded and secured so it cannot be fired or readily accessed, using a locking device or a securely locked container. Restricted firearms have stricter rules. See our full storage guide and the RCMP's official guidance for the details.

Can I hunt with a PAL? Yes, with the appropriate provincial hunting licence in addition to your PAL. In British Columbia that means completing the CORE hunter education program. Hunting with a restricted firearm such as a handgun is not permitted.

Can I sell or lend a firearm to someone else? Yes, provided the other person holds the appropriate licence for that class of firearm. Confirm their licence is valid before any private transfer. Restricted firearms carry additional transfer requirements.

Can a PAL help me get a job? It can. A PAL is a prerequisite for eligibility in a number of fields, including the film industry, security and armoured car work, outdoor tourism, mineral exploration, forestry, and firearms content creation. Most of these roles require further training or licensing on top, but the PAL is often the credential that has to come first.