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News Analysis

Carney Government Weighs SKS Rifle Ban After Montreal Shooting: What Firearms Owners, Hunters, and Indigenous Communities Should Know

After a Montreal shooting killed a police officer and a civilian on June 22, 2026, Ottawa says the SKS rifle is being looked at in a broader firearms classification review. Our practical guide explains what is — and is not — currently restricted, what a future ban could change for owners, and how Indigenous and rural hunters can prepare.

By Refdesk Team

Carney Government Weighs SKS Rifle Ban After Montreal Shooting: What Firearms Owners, Hunters, and Indigenous Communities Should Know

What This Means for You

Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked at a Parliament Hill news conference on Thursday, June 25, 2026 whether the federal government will ban the SKS rifle in the wake of the deadly Montreal shooting earlier this week. He did not commit to a ban but confirmed Ottawa is running a broad review of firearms classification and will lean heavily on the RCMP and other experts before making any decision, according to reporting by CBC News and the National Observer. Whatever Ottawa decides will land directly on the kitchen tables of three groups of Canadians: licensed owners who currently have an SKS in the cabinet, hunters who use the SKS in remote and Indigenous communities, and households worried about firearms violence. Here is how to prepare for each scenario before any regulatory change is announced.

If You Currently Own an SKS Rifle in Canada:

Immediate action (this week):

  • Confirm your firearm's exact configuration. The SKS is currently non-restricted in Canada, meaning standard semi-automatic SKS rifles do not require a Restricted Possession and Acquisition Licence (RPAL) and can legally be transported to a hunting area under the conditions of a regular Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL). According to Canada's Firearms Reference Table classifications and reporting by CBC News, the SKS remains legal to own and use despite the May 2020 prohibition order that banned roughly 2,500 firearm types.
  • Photograph and inventory each SKS you own. Note the serial number, year of manufacture, country of origin, and any after-market modifications. If a future regulatory change occurs, a documented inventory will be essential for any buyback claim or exemption application.
  • Pull your current PAL or RPAL expiry date. Renewal forms (RCMP form 921) take six to eight weeks to process. A licence that lapses during a regulatory change can complicate any future surrender, transfer, or buyback transaction.

What to prepare:

  • A written record of where and when you purchased each SKS, with receipts if possible. Past Canadian compensation programs have required proof of legal acquisition before a payment is issued.
  • A list of accessories you own that are SKS-specific (magazines, stocks, mounts). Accessory eligibility under Ottawa's firearms compensation programs has varied historically and the rules for any future SKS-specific program are not yet announced.
  • A secure-storage check against the federal storage rules: trigger lock or locked container, ammunition stored separately. Storage violations remain prosecutable regardless of any classification debate.

Resources:

Example scenario — a typical SKS owner:

Consider a 52-year-old PAL holder in rural Ontario who bought an SKS in 2014 for $300 and has used it for predator control and target shooting since. If Ottawa announces a future classification change (prohibited or restricted), this owner faces three possible outcomes based on how past prohibitions have been structured: (1) compensation roughly in the $1,000 to $1,800 range based on rates used for prior prohibited firearms; (2) a grandfathering window allowing continued possession under stricter storage and transport rules; or (3) a transition period to surrender the firearm at an RCMP-approved location. None of these outcomes is guaranteed, and the federal government has not announced an SKS-specific framework. The point is that documented, dated proof of ownership materially improves outcomes in any of the three pathways.

If You Are an Indigenous Hunter or a First Nation Community Member:

Immediate action:

  • Engage your band council or treaty organization about the federal review now. Ottawa has explicitly said it will run dedicated consultations with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities on the SKS specifically, according to CBC News and earlier statements from Public Safety Canada. Section 35 treaty rights to hunt for food, social, and ceremonial purposes are a recognized factor in firearms regulation, and your community's voice in the consultation phase will shape any exemption or transition rules.
  • Document the practical use of SKS rifles in your community. Distance to the nearest gun store, current cost of substitute rifles, hunting practices, and food-security implications all matter to the federal review. Coverage by CBC News notes that the SKS is commonly used in Indigenous communities for hunting in part because of its reliability and cost — both relevant to a meaningful consultation.

What to prepare:

  • A community-level inventory if appropriate, capturing how many households rely on an SKS as a primary food-procurement rifle.
  • A comparison of substitute rifles available at your nearest retailer, including price and availability. Comparable bolt-action or other non-restricted hunting rifles such as common .308 calibre or 30-06 calibre rifles often retail in the $700 to $1,500 range; SKS rifles have historically been available in the $300 to $600 range, materially lower.

Resources:

If You Are a Household Concerned About Firearms Violence:

Immediate action:

  • Understand what is — and is not — already prohibited. The May 2020 prohibition order banned approximately 2,500 firearm types, with subsequent prohibition orders in December 2024 and March 2025 adding additional models. The SKS is not on any of these prohibition lists, according to coverage of the federal review by CBC News and Global News.
  • Know what the current buyback covers. Eligible owners of firearms prohibited in May 2020, December 2024 and March 2025 can submit a declaration to the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program at the federal portal. The current declaration deadline was March 31, 2026, with payments processed on a rolling basis.

What to prepare:

  • If you support stricter regulation, written submissions to the federal consultation tend to carry weight when they include concrete impacts (loss of a family member, public-safety incidents, expert citations).
  • If your family has lawful firearms in the home, an honest conversation about safe storage. Federal storage rules are detailed in the Firearms Act regulations and apply regardless of any classification debate.

For All Canadians:

The current debate is not only about one rifle. It is about the federal classification framework — the rules that decide which firearms are non-restricted, restricted, or prohibited. Ottawa has said the review will emphasize "simplicity and consistency," according to coverage of past Public Safety Canada statements. Whatever you think about firearms policy, the simplest, most concrete action you can take in the next two months is to participate in the consultation when it opens.

The News: What Happened

According to CBC News, the Lethbridge Herald, and the National Observer, a shooting in Montreal's Côte-des-Neiges district on Monday, June 22, 2026 killed Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane and civilian Michel Mizrahi. Online images circulated in the wake of the shooting suggest an SKS rifle was used, although authorities had not officially confirmed the weapon model at the time of Carney's news conference.

As reported by CBC News and the National Observer, Carney was asked at a Thursday, June 25, 2026 press conference on Parliament Hill following the conclusion of the spring sitting whether the Liberal government would ban the SKS. He responded that Ottawa is reviewing the firearms classification regime and the government will hear advice from subject matter experts, including the RCMP, on which firearms should be banned. Carney did not commit to a specific timeline or to an SKS-specific ban.

The same day, gun-control advocacy group PolySeSouvient renewed its call for an immediate end to new sales of SKS rifles. According to coverage by the Lethbridge Herald, the Kelowna Daily Courier, and the National Observer, PolySeSouvient said: "These weapons remain widely available, repeatedly linked to violence, and treated with a leniency they do not merit." The group called for "a precise and accelerated schedule" for consultations and regulatory action and added that the current pace is "indefensible."

The SKS is a semi-automatic rifle of Soviet origin first produced in the late 1940s and is currently classified as non-restricted in Canada. According to CBC News, it is commonly used in Indigenous communities for hunting. Despite the May 2020 federal prohibition of roughly 2,500 firearm types and subsequent prohibitions in December 2024 and March 2025, the SKS has not been added to any prohibited list.

Analysis: Why This Matters

Based on our analysis, three features of this announcement deserve more attention than the daily political coverage gives them.

First, the review is structural, not symbolic. A classification review that aims for "simplicity and consistency" — language used by past Public Safety Canada statements and reaffirmed in current coverage — is different from a single-model ban. If Ottawa follows through, the outcome will affect not just the SKS but potentially every non-restricted, restricted, and prohibited classification in the Firearms Reference Table. That is a broader policy lever than a single prohibition order.

Second, the consultation phase is genuinely consequential for Indigenous communities. Ottawa has explicitly said the review will include dedicated consultations with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities on the SKS. That is an unusually specific commitment, and based on past federal practice, it typically means that any classification change involving the SKS will need a parallel exemption or transition framework for Section 35 rights holders. Communities that engage early have historically shaped the substance of those parallel frameworks.

Third, the buyback loophole flagged by PolySeSouvient is a real design problem. As reported by the Lethbridge Herald, the advocacy group has raised the issue that owners who received compensation under the federal buyback could use that compensation to buy a new SKS rifle. Whatever one thinks of firearms policy, this is a coherent observation about program design that is likely to feature in the consultation phase.

Historical Context

Canada's May 2020 prohibition order, advanced after the April 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting, was the largest single firearms prohibition in modern Canadian history. Subsequent regulatory steps in December 2024 and March 2025 added further models. The decision to keep the SKS off those lists — despite repeated calls from gun-control advocates — has been the most-debated single design choice in the post-2020 framework, in part because of the rifle's use in Indigenous hunting and in part because of its appearance in several high-profile shooting incidents over the past several years.

What Happens Next

Three developments are worth watching in the next 60 to 120 days. First, whether the RCMP and Public Safety Canada announce a structured timeline for the broader classification review. Second, whether the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Métis National Council issue formal positions on the SKS consultation process. Third, whether the federal government tightens the rules around the existing buyback to address the loophole identified by PolySeSouvient, with or without a separate SKS-specific decision.

Your Action Plan

Immediate (This Week):

  • If you own an SKS: document each firearm's serial number, year, and country of origin
  • Confirm your PAL or RPAL expiry date and renew if it lapses within six months
  • If you live in an Indigenous community, contact your band council or treaty organization about the federal consultation
  • Read the current Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program page for context on how past compensation has worked

Short-term (This Month):

  • Locate purchase receipts for each SKS in your possession; print copies for safe storage
  • Check the RCMP Firearms Reference Table status of every firearm you own
  • Review federal storage rules and confirm compliance
  • Prepare a written submission to the federal classification review when the consultation portal opens

Long-term (This Year):

  • Monitor announcements from Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police about the broader classification review timeline
  • If you are an Indigenous community member, participate in the dedicated First Nations, Inuit and Métis consultations on the SKS
  • If you support a ban, follow PolySeSouvient and other advocacy groups' calls to action
  • If you oppose further restrictions, follow advocacy organizations including the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights for submission templates

Other Perspectives

Federal Government View:

According to CBC News and the National Observer, Prime Minister Carney said at a Parliament Hill press conference on June 25, 2026 that Ottawa is "reviewing the firearms classification regime" and will rely on RCMP advice on which firearms should be banned. The government has not committed to an SKS-specific ban or a fixed timeline.

Gun Control Advocacy View:

According to coverage by the Lethbridge Herald, the Kelowna Daily Courier, and the National Observer, PolySeSouvient is calling for "a precise and accelerated schedule" for ending new SKS sales and addressing existing SKS rifles in circulation. The group has flagged a buyback loophole and characterized the current pace of regulatory action as "indefensible."

Indigenous Hunting Community View:

According to CBC News, the SKS is commonly used in Indigenous communities for hunting in part because of its reliability and cost. Several Indigenous organizations have, in past consultations, emphasized that any classification change must respect Section 35 rights to hunt for food, social, and ceremonial purposes and must include a meaningful transition framework. Specific positions on the current review have not yet been issued by the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, or the Métis National Council.

Lawful Owners' View:

Canadian firearms owners' associations have historically argued that the SKS — a 1940s-era rifle widely used for sport and food hunting — should remain non-restricted because it does not meet the design or capacity criteria of the prohibited list. Specific responses to the June 25 announcement have not yet been compiled in major reporting.

Note: Including multiple perspectives doesn't imply all views are equally valid, but ensures readers can make informed judgments.

Corrections Policy

We strive for accuracy. If you find an error in this analysis, please email us at [email protected]. We will promptly investigate and correct any factual inaccuracies.

Updates:

  • No corrections to date (as of June 25, 2026)

Sources