Sport shooting in Canada
Canada’s ISSF member, the Shooting Federation of Canada, runs a Recreational Target Shooting programme, an introduction in which club members progress within the ISSF disciplines at their own pace and earn badge levels as they improve. In competition, a shooter becomes eligible for classification after results from three official matches.
For new applicants of 18 or older the only firearms licence is the Possession and Acquisition Licence, after the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. Since October 2022 individuals may no longer acquire a handgun, with few exemptions; one is for those who train, compete or coach in an Olympic or Paralympic handgun discipline, shown each year by a letter from a governing body such as the SFC.
Gun licence in Canada
- A Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) from 18, after the Canadian Firearms Safety Course; restricted firearms also need the restricted course (CRFSC).
- Since 21 October 2022 an individual cannot acquire a handgun unless exempt, such as a shooter in an Olympic or Paralympic handgun discipline with a yearly governing-body letter.
- No federal activity count: a restricted gun is held for target practice at an approved club or range, and each five-year renewal asks whether it is used for that.
Federations and makers
Targets
CCT
Cibles Canada Targets, a Canadian shooting-sports dealer founded in 1995 by a pistol coach, now mainly serves 10 m ISSF shooting and Canada’s cadet programme. It has made numbered cards of its own in Canada and sells Krüger cards from Germany, among them the ISSF 10 m air-pistol face scaled down to 5 m for short indoor ranges.
| Target | Weapon | Distance | Scoring area |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCT 5m Air Pistol | Air pistol | 5 m | 77.75 mm |
SFC
The Shooting Federation of Canada, governing body for the Olympic shooting disciplines, with sporting and hunting rifle events of its own.
| Target | Weapon | Distance | Scoring area |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFC 20yd Pistol (No.72) | Pistol | 20 yd | 364.26 mm |
Sources: ISSF, “Member Federations”; Shooting Federation of Canada, “Recreational Target Shooting Program”; Shooting Federation of Canada, “Classification”; RCMP, Canadian Firearms Program, “Canadian residents”; Public Safety Canada, “Parliamentary Committee Notes: A national freeze on handguns” (2025); Shooting Federation of Canada, “Exemption Letters”; Cibles Canada Targets, “About”; Cibles Canada Targets, “Targets”; Cibles Canada Targets, “CCT / Krüger 5 Meters air pistol targets”; Shooting Federation of Canada, “Rules”, read on .