Surge in young gun owners hitting voting age amid calls in firearm circles to loosen bans

Canadian-born Hashim Akbar first shot his grandfather's gun as a child while visiting Pakistan.

"It was obviously scary. I was a small child, but it was also very exciting as well. There's ... a lot of adrenalin that goes through someone's body," said Akbar, 23, vice-president of the Simon Fraser Sports Shooting Club (SFSSC) in Burnaby, B.C.

As a teen, the university student tried and loved skeet shooting and now owns his own lever-action rifle. He applied for a gun licence last October, making him one of 7,446 Canadians under 30 to do so in 2024. But by the time he received the document, the guns he wanted were prohibited by the federal government.

Canada has banned more than 2,000 makes and models of firearms since 2020 in response to concerns from the public and advocates over domestic violence, violent street crime and high-profile tragedies, including the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 and the 1989 murders of 14 women at École Polytechnique in Montreal.

At the same time, the number of gun licence applicants — especially young males — has increased by thousands, with a significant rise among an age group that includes teenagers.

According to RCMP data, gun licence applications spiked 11 per cent for young people between the ages of 10 and 19 between 2023 and 2024, when a total of 9,654 males and 1,778 females were registered.

That's created a situation where the country's newest gun owners are in many cases some of Canada's newest voters — and some are looking for leaders who are signalling they'll ease up on gun laws.

This increase in gun ownership, mostly among young males, also comes amid fears that U.S.-style gun culture and toxic definitions of masculinity are seeping over the border, some experts say.

RCMP data also shows that applications are up three per cent for those aged 20 to 29, and 2.5 per cent for people 30 and older. That translated into almost 60,000 new gun owners last year — close to 7,500 of them under the age of 30.

Applicants between the ages of 12 and 17 can obtain a minor's firearms licence once they pass the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and tests determined by Section 7 of the Firearms Act. Once 18, they're required to apply for a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL).

The only exceptions are children under the age of 12, including Indigenous minors, who need to hunt for sustenance. Minors can also use guns with no licence if they are supervised by a licensed adult — and this is common in situations like cadet training or other youth organizations learning about firearms use, target practice or hunting.

There's a lot of disappointment when young people learn about gun bans, said Blair Hagen, executive vice-president of Canada's National Firearms Association.

"A lot of young Canadians are getting involved in this for various reasons and also recent immigrants who come to Canada, because they want to enjoy the same rights and freedoms that we have had for many, many years," Hagen said, as he fielded calls from gun owners at his store, Lever Arms Service Ltd., in Richmond, B.C.

His store shelves are half empty due to gun bans.