A Sport Under the Gun
Canada's competitive shooting community is sounding the alarm. Members of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) — a discipline that combines speed, accuracy, and movement through timed obstacle courses — say the federal government's 2022 handgun freeze has quietly put their sport on a path to extinction.
With approximately 6,000 Canadian members, IPSC is one of the country's most active competitive shooting organizations. But since Ottawa banned the sale, purchase, and transfer of handguns, participants say there is no legal way for most Canadians to acquire a competition handgun — and that means no new competitors can enter the sport.
'We Can't Replace What Wears Out'
Shooters in northern Alberta, many of whom have been competing for decades, describe a slow squeeze. Existing members can keep their registered handguns, but competition-grade firearms wear down over time. Parts become scarce. Guns break. And unlike other sports where you can walk into a store and replace your equipment, there is now no lawful path to acquire a new handgun for the vast majority of Canadians.
"It's not a ban on shooting — it's a ban on the future of shooting," one northern Alberta IPSC club member told CBC News. "In 10 years, we won't have equipment. The sport just quietly dies."
The 2022 freeze, introduced by the federal Liberal government as part of Bill C-21, halted the transfer of handguns between individuals and prohibited their sale to consumers. The government framed it as a public safety measure targeting gun violence in urban centres — but critics argue it has done little to address illegal firearms while placing an undue burden on law-abiding sport shooters.
A Distinct Community
IPSC competitors are, by definition, among Canada's most vetted gun owners. To own a restricted firearm like a handgun, they must hold a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) with restricted endorsement, store firearms in approved safes, and transport them only to approved ranges. Background checks are ongoing.
Supporters of the ban argue the measures are a necessary step toward reducing handgun violence. But IPSC members say they are being conflated with a very different demographic — that the policy paints all handgun owners with the same brush regardless of how the firearms are used or stored.
The Clock Is Ticking
Club membership numbers across Alberta have held relatively steady since the freeze took effect, largely because existing shooters can continue to compete. The real concern, organizers say, is recruitment. With no legal pathway for new members to acquire the required equipment, the pipeline of future competitors has effectively been sealed shut.
Some members are watching closely to see whether a change in federal government — following the Liberals' defeat in the 2025 federal election — might lead to a reversal of the policy. The incoming Conservative government under Mark Carney's successor has signalled openness to revisiting aspects of C-21, but no formal legislative action has been taken.
For now, Alberta's IPSC community keeps showing up to the range, competing with the equipment they have, and hoping the sport they love outlasts the politics that threaten it.
Source: CBC News
