Guns, PALs and firearm safety training
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We are still in London and bloody relieved that my PAL (Possession and Acquisition of Firearms Licence) has arrived. Now we can buy guns in Canada. We need them to ensure we stay alive beyond the first few minutes of getting home (see previous blog).
There are frequent news stories about bears eating people on arrival at remote cabins in Canada/ Alaska. Or maybe the stories I've read just stick in my mind.
Brits and Guns
Most Brits get a buzz when they first hold a gun. The wooden stock slots into your shoulder like it was always meant to be there, the barrel is velvet black with a raised sight that begs to be peered through.
But the thrill of pointing a wood and steel tool at an object in the mid distance fades once you get good enough to hit it or realise you're shit and never will. (I had that experience with 10 pin bowling. The evening descended into a sullen bout of binge drinking and staggering to my feet to slam an idiotically large ball across the alleys in a pair of brogues. Fortunately I’m better at shooting.)
For us, guns are an expensive tool. We can kill vermin, hunt food and defend ourselves.
Canadian Gun Law
Canadians have fairly strict gun laws. They want to be sure you aren’t psychotic/ on drugs/ prone to beating hell out of your spouse etc before you get armed. You prove you are none of the above by declaring yourself not to be on form which then goes to the RCMP. There is a section completed by a referee who must agree that you aren’t a danger to society.
So not the most rigorous of systems. You could not admit to any of the above, hold a knife to your referee’s throat and force them to comply. But at least you won’t be able to shoot them. So it is a system and it seems to work (see footnote).
Firearms Safety Course
You must also complete a Firearms Safety Course and test with a registered instructor. Not easy to arrange when you live in the bush. Neil and I took ours in Whitehorse this spring with Bill, a jovial fellow in his 60s, in his immaculate suburban living room.
He had 8 types of weapons and ammo laid on a trestle table, pointed down the hall towards his grandchildren who kept flitting in and out. “So one of the first things you should know is NEVER to have the weapon pointed at anyone, so really the house should be empty, but heck, it’s Sunday and the grandkids are here!” I liked him already.
Acronyms
The course focuses on acronyms with exclamation marks (ACT! PROOVE! SAFE!). You spend a lot of time unloading, checking the chamber, checking the barrel, putting the safety on and off and generally making the weapon safe without pointing it at anyone except grandchildren
There are some useful bits about ballistics and you get to try loading and unloading various rifles and shotguns. Despite being Brits, we managed not to spray the room with imaginary bullets shouting Bang! Bang! Bang!
We got to watch a great little video where people from the 1980’s (judging by the chinos, or perhaps small town Canada?) brought the acronyms to life through the medium of acting.
Firearms safety test
The test is multiple choice. Some of the questions need an active memory or a bit of common sense. Many do not and run along these lines,
Question 5- Which of these objects is a rim fire cartridge?
Pictures of:
A) a spoon
B) a rim fire cartridge
C) an egg
A tough call with only 10 minutes to decide.
We passed!
Neil and I passed with 100% scores. I nearly failed for pointing a shotgun at someone -Neil. I wasn't even particularly annoyed at him, but part of the test involved pretending to climb over a gate in a field, whilst actually stepping over a stool in a suburban living room. I became so conscious of Bill’s polished wooden floors that I tried to eject the cartridges onto his rug to avoid chipping the veneer finish. Thereby endangering my husband's life.
We agreed that the stool climbing situation is unlikely to be encountered in the bush and I passed with a stern caution from Bill.
Neil's shady past
We are still waiting for Neil’s PAL to arrive so the RCMP must know something about him that I don’t. Looks like I’ll be first one out of the boat and onto our property, then.
Footnote: Recent stats as compiled by wikipedia (from UN figures amongst others) show deaths in Canada by guns including homicide, suicide and accidents-
1.97 per 100,000 people (mixed years)
Same figures for the USA (2014)-
10.54 per 100,000
Let's not even look at Jamaica and S. America.
We are still in London and bloody relieved that my PAL (Possession and Acquisition of Firearms Licence) has arrived. Now we can buy guns in Canada. We need them to ensure we stay alive beyond the first few minutes of getting home (see previous blog).
 |
| Checking for squatters at our gaff last year |
 |
| A large bear, but very far away. |
Most Brits get a buzz when they first hold a gun. The wooden stock slots into your shoulder like it was always meant to be there, the barrel is velvet black with a raised sight that begs to be peered through.
But the thrill of pointing a wood and steel tool at an object in the mid distance fades once you get good enough to hit it or realise you're shit and never will. (I had that experience with 10 pin bowling. The evening descended into a sullen bout of binge drinking and staggering to my feet to slam an idiotically large ball across the alleys in a pair of brogues. Fortunately I’m better at shooting.)
 |
| Pretending to be a Bond Girl (not sure which one?) |
 |
| Vermin. (Ah, the poor wee fella! Well tough, he was eating our roof.) |
Canadians have fairly strict gun laws. They want to be sure you aren’t psychotic/ on drugs/ prone to beating hell out of your spouse etc before you get armed. You prove you are none of the above by declaring yourself not to be on form which then goes to the RCMP. There is a section completed by a referee who must agree that you aren’t a danger to society.
 |
| Neil. A danger to society. |
Firearms Safety Course
You must also complete a Firearms Safety Course and test with a registered instructor. Not easy to arrange when you live in the bush. Neil and I took ours in Whitehorse this spring with Bill, a jovial fellow in his 60s, in his immaculate suburban living room.
He had 8 types of weapons and ammo laid on a trestle table, pointed down the hall towards his grandchildren who kept flitting in and out. “So one of the first things you should know is NEVER to have the weapon pointed at anyone, so really the house should be empty, but heck, it’s Sunday and the grandkids are here!” I liked him already.
 |
| Hunting with friends in Alaska |
The course focuses on acronyms with exclamation marks (ACT! PROOVE! SAFE!). You spend a lot of time unloading, checking the chamber, checking the barrel, putting the safety on and off and generally making the weapon safe without pointing it at anyone except grandchildren
There are some useful bits about ballistics and you get to try loading and unloading various rifles and shotguns. Despite being Brits, we managed not to spray the room with imaginary bullets shouting Bang! Bang! Bang!
 |
| How we see ourselves... (Bodie and Doyle, The Professionals 1977) |
Firearms safety test
Question 5- Which of these objects is a rim fire cartridge?
Pictures of:
A) a spoon
B) a rim fire cartridge
C) an egg
A tough call with only 10 minutes to decide.
We passed!
Neil and I passed with 100% scores. I nearly failed for pointing a shotgun at someone -Neil. I wasn't even particularly annoyed at him, but part of the test involved pretending to climb over a gate in a field, whilst actually stepping over a stool in a suburban living room. I became so conscious of Bill’s polished wooden floors that I tried to eject the cartridges onto his rug to avoid chipping the veneer finish. Thereby endangering my husband's life.
We agreed that the stool climbing situation is unlikely to be encountered in the bush and I passed with a stern caution from Bill.
 |
| Arrival at our cabin with only a shovel for defence |
We are still waiting for Neil’s PAL to arrive so the RCMP must know something about him that I don’t. Looks like I’ll be first one out of the boat and onto our property, then.
Footnote: Recent stats as compiled by wikipedia (from UN figures amongst others) show deaths in Canada by guns including homicide, suicide and accidents-
1.97 per 100,000 people (mixed years)
Same figures for the USA (2014)-
10.54 per 100,000
Let's not even look at Jamaica and S. America.
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DeleteThank u. Just took a look at your site. Building your own firearms sounds like a really interesting thing to attempt. I guess we have other priorities just now, but it would be a great thing to do one day.
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