Calgary firearms business 'very frustrated' as RCMP classifies rifle prohibited

A Calgary-based firearms company says one of its rifles being classified as prohibited by the RCMP has thrown his business into "crisis mode."

"Right now, I'm all riled up, because I get very frustrated. I've been in the industry now for like 28 years," said J.R. Cox, head of Sterling Arms International. "It's these rulings that, to me, completely devalue and delegitimize the RCMP technical identification team."

Cox said he learned over the weekend from a client that the Sterling Arms R9 MK1, a semi-automatic nine-millimetre rifle, had been classified in the RCMP's Firearms Reference Table (FRT) as prohibited. The FRT is a database used by RCMP to determine a firearm's legal status.

"This caught us completely off-guard, because we were quite confident. We submitted a sample for them to look at, like the paperwork, back in July of last year, to get a [FRT] number for it," Cox said in an interview. "We built this thing, specifically, to be non-restricted."

In a statement to CBC News, RCMP said it had conducted a technical inspection of the newly-manufactured Sterling Arms R9 MK1 firearm before publishing its findings in the FRT.

"Prior to that inspection, the Sterling Arms R9 MK1 firearm was unknown to the Firearms Reference Table. However, upon receiving the firearm in June 2025, a technical inspection was completed and a determination of the classification of the firearm was made according to the relevant sections of the Criminal Code and the regulations," the statement reads. 

"As a result of this technical inspection, it was determined that the Sterling Arms R9 MK1 is a variant of a prohibited firearm."

RCMP said prohibited firearms cannot be legally used, sold, imported, or transferred to another individual. They can only be transported if it's specifically allowed in an amnesty order.

"Affected firearms may not be used for hunting or sport shooting, either at a range or elsewhere, unless allowed through an amnesty," the statement reads.

Cox said he recognized that for those not familiar with firearms, the black, boxy semi-automatic pistol carbine may look intimidating.

But he said the firearm is designed to use pistol ammunition, and is popular in sporting competitions where shooters need to use a rifle-style firearm that's accurate, but not too powerful.

"This is hugely detrimental, because we've been hit with so many prohibitions on firearms that we manufacture over the last five years," said Cox, who was also the owner of the Calgary-based The Shooting Edge, which closed its doors last year.

"We finally thought we had a winner that we could sell, that we wouldn't have any issues with."

The Canadian Shooting Sports Association said the classification means owners of the R9 MK1 can no longer use the firearm at the range or in the field. Canada's National Firearms Association said the Sterling Arms R9 MK1 was "the last remaining pistol-calibre carbine still eligible for competitive use in Canada."