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Impact
Numerous studies have been conducted to assess the impact of Canada’s firearms legislation on firearms-related deaths. Studies have attempted to evaluate three different periods of reform, which involved Bill C-51 in 1977, Bill C-17 in 1991, and Bill C-68 in 1995.

According to a 1988 study, “the use of firearms in Canadian homicides has declined since the legislative changes in gun control and capital punishment in late 1976.” However, the study found that the changes in the law had no impact on total standardized national homicide rates.[61] A 1994 report concurred that “[d]ata from Canada from 1969 to 1985 showed that the passage of a stricter firearms control law in 1977 was associated with a decrease in the use of firearms for homicide but an increase in the use of all other methods for homicide.”[62] Another study on the impact of gun control legislation (Bill C-51) in Canada “suggests that controlling access to lethal means for suicide may be an effective tactic.”[63]

However, according to a paper by Professor Robert Mundt,

[t]he evidence suggests that the 1977 legislation has had little perceptible impact in any of the aforementioned
areas [violent crime, suicides, and accidental deaths]. One possible reason, apart from the possible conclusion
that gun control has no direct effect on behaviour, is that, despite the legislation, the actual availability of
firearms in the hands of Canadians has risen.[64]

A 2004 study looking at the impact of the Firearms Act on suicide found that “[a] decrease in firearm suicides was most noticeable in the under-25 age group, although it was in this same age group that the general suicide rate increased the most. The reduction of firearm suicides was not accompanied by a decrease in overall suicide rates.”[65] Another study found that “[t]here is no discernable impact on public safety by the firearm program”[66] instituted by the Firearms Act.

A 1998 study commissioned by the Department of Justice, which reviewed most literature available at that time, found that the impact of firearms regulations remained “somewhat inconclusive and controversial, partly because the studies have attempted to isolate the impact of the 1977 legislation, and because of the theoretical and methodological challenges, and issues of data quality and availability, inherent in this type of evaluative research.”[67]

A 2004 study found “a significant decrease after passage of Bill C-17 [in 1991] in the rates of suicides and homicides involving firearms and the percentage of suicides using firearms.”[68] However, more recent studies appear to present a mixed picture. A 2012 study concluded that the data “failed to demonstrate a beneficial association between [firearms] legislation and firearm homicide rates between 1974 and 2008.”[69] Some criticize this study since it did not take into account suicide deaths, which account for three-quarters of gun deaths.[70]

According to 2010 data available at Statistics Canada, over the past thirty years firearm-related homicides have continued to decline.[71] Moreover, “[m]uch of the decline in firearm-related homicide since the early 1980’s can be attributed to a decrease in homicides involving a rifle or shotgun.”[72] According to 2011 data,

[t]here were 158 homicides committed with a firearm in 2011, 13 fewer than the previous year. The 2011 rate of
0.46 firearm homicides per 100,000 population was the lowest in almost 50 years. The recent decline in the rate
of firearm homicides is mainly due to a drop in the rate of homicides committed with a handgun, which has fallen
nearly 30% over the past four years. However, handguns still accounted for about two-thirds of all firearms used
to commit homicide in 2011.[73]

- Is it legal for one to build an aluminum receiver for the non-restricted Armalite AR-180B rifle for personal use and no intent to sell?

If you have a Possession and Acquisition Licence for the type of firearm that you manufacture, then yes it is legal to manufacture one. However, only a licensed firearms business may legally manufacture a prohibited firearm (Cf. Firearms Licences Regulations, s.22).
...
For the serial number requirements, please see section 14 of the Firearms Act, as well as section 1.1 of the Firearms Registration Certificates Regulations. However, you may wish to put some identifier on the lower receiver that would assist police to identify it if you were ever required to report it as lost or stolen.

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- Would having a Possession and Acquisition Licence for non-restricted and restricted firearms be the only documentation/licensing required to legally manufacture a non-restricted firearm?

Yes; in Canada, as noted above, you are required to have a firearms Possession and Acquisition Licence for the class of firearm that you would be manufacturing. Depending on the exact nature of the firearm you build, the classification may be non-restricted, restricted or prohibited. Be mindful of the potential for your version of the rifle to accept short barrels, mount pistol grips, accept full automatic components from related firearms, as well as share design similarity with firearms named in the Criminal Code Regulations (such as the AR-180 rifle and the AR-15 rifle).

The process of manufacture must not result in any prohibited components (such as overcapacity magazines, short barrels or flash hiders that serve as sound suppressors) being created, even if temporary in nature. If you intend to import components there may be further requirements under the Export-Import Permits Act.

A valid registration certificate is also required for each restricted firearm. An Authorization to Transport may be required if the manufacturing process involves moving the firearm between sites.

If the characteristics of your rifle make it a prohibited firearm (even temporarily during the manufacturing process), there are no circumstances where it would be possible to obtain a licence and/or registration certificate for an individual to possess it.

- If the lower receiver manufactured is built to fit an existing non-restricted firearm, would it have to be inspected and given an FRT number?

Yes, a new FRT number would be issued. If you were to assign a make and model, the FRT record would be created accordingly, otherwise it would go into the “home made” category. It would be incumbent on you to supply the necessary technical information to create the FRT record.

-For what reason would one have to obtain a firearms manufacturing licence?

For any of the prescribed purposes in section 22 of the Firearms Licences Regulations, a business is required to have a firearms business licence issued by the Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) of the province of residence with the CFO's authority to pursue the particular activity. Provincial laws may also apply and in addition, we strongly suggest speaking with a representative in the CFO for your province of residence. The CFO staff can advise you about any other regulations that may apply. Contact information for the CFOs is listed on the RCMP CFP website at http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/cfo- ... ex-eng.htm or by phoning the CFP toll-free information line at 1-800-731-4000 your call can be redirected.

The purpose of this mailbox is to provide general information on the administration of the Firearms Act. We cannot offer legal opinions or provide legal advice to individuals or businesses. Should you require an opinion on legal issue, please contact a lawyer

Scoobienorth wrote: ↑Wed May 13, 2020 8:02 pm When it comes to suicide and guns there Is very much is a link. Please do not minimize this. I am a trained crisis responder and do deal with suicide and those in crisis, any step you can take to place distance between those with thoughts of suicide and weapons increases their chance of survival. That means keeping them locked and unloaded is safer. I know gun owners are under pressure all the time and trying to justify safety of their guns and that they feel like they are trying to be taken away and all of that. Reality of it is if you or someone in your house is going through a really hard time or is giving off thoughts of suicide you should talk to them about it. If they are ,your guns should be locked up tight so they can’t get to them. If someone outside your house that you care about fits that same profile you should again talk to them and even try to hang onto their firearms until they are getting help and deescalated. You can say Or believe whatever you want But when someone completes suicide and if you feel partially responsible or that you could have done things differently and helped them it leaves a big impact on yourself and will haunt you. It isn’t a joke. If you have questions or know someone as risk and aren’t sure what to do message me.