The NY Times last week reported in its deluge of anti-gun articles since the Arizona shootings suggested the US should follow Canada's lead and insist on a 28 day waiting period before being allowed to buy a handgun. Is this true? I thought once you got your PAL and authority to transport it's pretty much instant.

I'm in industry, and it pretty much goes like this:

Transfer is started by phone with the federal registry. Federal registry sends an e file with the buyer's firearms license info and the registration certificate number for the firearm to the provincial chief firearms office. Provincial chief firearms office approves or refuses the transfer based on a number of criteria.

Starting the "restricted" transfer at the federal registry is kind of redundant. They have no authority to accept or refuse the transfer, they just collect info. But Canada loves bureaucracy and this is part of what the 2 Billion tax dollars was paid out on. Hiring bureaucrats.

Chief provincial firearms office enforces it's own "policies" on approval of a transfer. These are not the law of Canada, just policies - and the Firearms Act gives wide powers to CPFOs to do so.

Currently, most across Canada enforce a "policy" that they will not approve the transfer of a "restricted" firearm (handgun or black rifle) unless the buyer also has a valid "Long Term Authorization to Transport Restricted Firearms and Prohibited Handguns (LTATT) on file with that office.

In order to qualify for the LTATT, you must provide proof of a valid gun club membership.

Again, this isn't required by law - just policy.

The LTATT allows you to transport any restricted firearm to any range, club, gunsmith or to the US border on ATF Form 6 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a five year period that runs concurrent with your firearms license.

If you are not "grandfathered" for prohibited handguns, you cannot transport them on your LTATT even though it says you can

Once you have the LTATT, transfers are approved pretty routinely. I've had restricted transfers approved in a matter of hours. The buyer had all of the documentation required, and the provincial firearms office wasn't that busy.

Generally restricted transfers take 3 to 7 days. Most are approved within a week if there is no issue with the buyer, dependent on the number of transfers that are taking place. Lately, my transfers have been going through in a couple of days. British Columbia is pretty liberal when it comes to guns.

When the transfer is approved, a "transfer notification" and "short term authorization to transport restricted or prohibited firearms" (STATT) is issued.

The STATT allows the buyer to pick up the firearm from point of purchase and transport it to his home, where he can then ostensibly transport the firearms to a range. Redundant you say ? But it keeps Canada safe ! And it's absolutely required by law.

This is BC, it's quite a bit more onerous and time consuming in Quebec and Ontario, which are the big anti gun provinces in Canada.

Non restricted transfers are done electronically and approved instantly 99.9% of the time.

It's basically just a bunch of hoops and paperwork, the kind that impresses liberals so much. The guy who shot up that college in Montreal in September 2006 had a restricted firearms license, registrations for all of his guns (Glock .45, CX Storm), a LTATT and quite a bit more that was required because it was Quebec.

Didn't seem to stop him. A cop's gun did

The NY Times is fucking wrong.

I've been in and out of a store within 45 minutes of paying and starting the registration process.