A Calgary -based firearms -based fire company says that one of its rifles that is being classified as prohibited by the RCMP has launched its business into the “crisis mode.”
“At this time, I am full, because I feel very frustrated. I’ve been in the industry now for 28 years,” said JR Cox, Sterling Arms International. “It is these decisions that, for me, devalue and delegate completely the RCMP technical identification team.”
Cox said he learned during the weekend from a client that Sterling Arms R9 MK1, a nine -millimeter semi -automatic rifle, had been classified in the RCMP Firearms Reference Table (FRT) as prohibited. The FRT is a database used by RCMP to determine the legal status of a firearm.
“This completely caught us out of the guard, because we had enough confidence. We sent a sample to see, such as paperwork, in July last year, to obtain a [FRT] Number for this, “Cox said in an interview.” We build this, specifically, not to be restricted. “
RCMP says that he performed a technical inspection
In a statement to CBC News, RCMP said he had made a technical inspection of the newly manufactured Sterling Arms R9 MK1 Firearm before publishing his findings in the FRT.
“Before that inspection, the Sterling Arms R9 MK1 firearm was unknown to the reference table of firearms. However, upon receiving the firearm in June 2025, a technical inspection was completed and a determination of the classification of the firearm was completed according to the relevant sections of the Criminal Code and the Regulation,” says the statement.
“As a result of this technical inspection, it was determined that Sterling R9 MK1 is a variant of a prohibited firearm.”
RCMP said that prohibited firearms cannot be used legally, sold, imported or transferred to another individual. They can only be transported if it is specifically allowed in an order of amnesty.
“Affected firearms can It is not used to hunt or shoot sports, either in a range or elsewhere, unless an amnesty is allowed, “says the statement.
‘We finally thought we had a winner’
Cox said he acknowledged that for those who are not familiar with firearms, black and square semi -automatic gun carbine may seem intimidating.
But he said that the firearm is designed to use pistol ammunition, and is popular in sports competitions where shooters need to use a rifle style firearm that is precise, but not too powerful.
“This is very harmful, because we have been beaten with so many prohibitions of firearms that we manufacture in the last five years,” said Cox, who also owned The Shooting Edge, based in Calgary, which closed its doors last year.
“We finally thought we had a winner we could sell, with whom we would have no problem.”
The Canadian Sports Association said that the classification means that the owners of the R9 MK1 can no longer use the firearm in the range or in the field. The National Association of Firearms in Canada said that Sterling Arms R9 MK1 was “the latest remaining gun caliber carbine still eligible for competitive use in Canada.”
“For most Canadians, that name may not mean anything. But for those who compete on PCC, those who spend thousands of dollars, innumerable hours and travel to represent Canada and participate in organized sports shots, means everything,” the association wrote in an X publication.
Dispute on R9 as a variant
According to Cox, the R9 was labeled by the RCMP as a variant of a firearm that was prohibited years before. He disputes that classification, say that the “interchangeable part only absolute” in the rifles is the trigger.
“They are going to slapped another sticker and will arbitrarily call it a variant of some other firearm. And that is the frustrating part,” Cox said.
The Polysesouvient Group, a proponent for a long time of the strictest weapons laws, wrote in an email that the problem of manufacturers that introduce new models in the market based on their own interpretations is “at the root of this type of problematic situation”, where the RCMP has to reproduce the scope after the models begin to sell to the Canadians.
“There are many examples of erroneous classifications of the industry, including the labeling of prohibited weapons (restricted or not restricted), which is a great public security concern in addition to the discomfort that this causes those who bought them,” reads them in the statement.
“Liberals have promised repeatedly To change the process so that RCMP veterinarians and classify new models before reaching the Canadian market. “
AJ Somerset is the author of Weapons: the culture and creed of the weapon. He has written extensively about Canada’s culture.
“You have the firearm, Sterling R9, which has been designed to be legal in Canada … there is no way to guess the RCMP in this, unless you have one and can disassemble and examine it. But, we will take the word of the manufacturer for it,” said Somerset.
“It is designed to be legal, but the RCMP decides, no, this is actually a variant … as such, it is a variant of a prohibited firearm, so it is prohibited under any rule that prohibits that firearm.”
He said that the situation around the weapon is emblematic with a continuous problem that arms owners have had the way in which the RCMP makes decisions when it comes to the FRT.
“This has been a true discussion bone for Canadian weapons owners, because what the FRT essentially does in practice is that it allows the RCMP, administratively, to declare that things are prohibited,” he said. “And if they don’t agree with them, then it is very, very difficult to do something about it.”
“A route is to go and charge, which is not very bright, because then you have to fight in court at great cost and risk. And, in theory, you can challenge them. But in practice, I am not sure how well it really works.”
Uncertainty for business owners
Wes Winkel, president of the Canadian Association of Sports Weapons and ammunition, said that the way in which the process has been developed has created uncertainty and interruption for the industry and legal owners of firearms.
“For the average general public, they just see that another firearm is forbidden,” Winkel said. “But for those of us who are in business, it means a significant loss of jobs for manufacturers, distributors and retailers, as well as our customers lose their valuable assets.”
In Canadian weapons forums such as Canadian Gun Nutz and in the Canadaguns Subnet, the movement also caused strong reactions.
“Unless you are aware of what they are doing, you could be using a recently prohibited rifle without knowing it,” he wrote a poster.
“Good luck winning that argument in court,” another replied.
Somerset said that the debate about what it is and is not a variant that has been happening for some time, and it is likely to continue.
He added that the R9 is quite new in the market, so the stir that is causing this last movement is probably disproportionately large.
“People [get] Really worried that, you know, it doesn’t matter what we do to comply with the rules, they are just behind us, “he said.” And that is that feeling of persecution that really, I think, is promoting much of that answer. “
