How a Restraining Order Affects Firearm Possession in Ontario

If you're the subject of a family law restraining order in Ontario, one consequence that often catches people off guard is what happens to any firearms licence, or firearms already in your possession. Firearm ownership in Canada is federally regulated, and a restraining order — even though it's a civil family court order, not a criminal conviction — can trigger a real review of your right to hold that licence.

This article explains, in general terms, how the two systems interact.

Two Separate Systems, One Overlap

Family law restraining orders come from provincial family law — through the Family Law Act or the Children's Law Reform Act — and are meant to protect a specific person from contact or harassment. Firearms licensing, by contrast, is entirely federal, run under the Firearms Act and the Criminal Code, and administered day-to-day by each province's Chief Firearms Officer.

These two systems don't automatically share information in real time, but a restraining order is exactly the kind of fact a Chief Firearms Officer takes seriously once aware of it, because continued eligibility for a firearms licence depends on there being no reasonable concern for the safety of the licence holder or anyone else.

What Can Happen to Your Licence

Once a Chief Firearms Officer becomes aware that a licence holder is the subject of a restraining order, a few things can follow:

• A review of continued eligibility. The office reassesses whether the licence holder still meets the public-safety criteria for holding a licence.
• Suspension or revocation. If the office concludes the person no longer meets those criteria, the licence can be suspended or revoked.
• A requirement to surrender firearms. Where a licence is revoked, or a court order requires it, any firearms, ammunition, and related authorization documents generally must be turned over — typically to police — as directed.

None of this necessarily happens the instant an order is signed; it generally follows notice to the Chief Firearms Officer and an opportunity for the licence holder to respond, except where safety concerns justify more immediate action.

If the Order Itself Addresses Firearms

Some restraining and protection orders explicitly address firearms — for example, directing that the restrained person surrender any firearms they possess, or prohibiting them from acquiring new ones, for as long as the order remains in force. Where an order says this directly, that direction takes priority and should be complied with immediately, regardless of what separately happens on the licensing side.

What If You Need Firearms for Work?

Occupations that depend on a firearms licence — some agricultural, security, or wilderness-related work, for example — don't get an automatic exemption from this process. If your livelihood depends on holding a licence, that's a factor worth raising early with a lawyer, both in how the restraining order itself is worded and in any response to the Chief Firearms Officer.

What to Do If You're Notified

• [ ] Read any notice from the Chief Firearms Officer's office carefully and note any deadlines it sets
• [ ] Do not ignore a suspension or revocation notice — non-compliance can carry its own serious consequences
• [ ] Get legal advice before responding, especially if you intend to dispute the basis for the review
• [ ] Keep records of anything you surrender, and to whom you surrendered it
• [ ] Tell your lawyer about any firearms licence or firearms in the home as soon as a restraining order is contemplated, on either side of the matter

Why This Matters Even Before an Order Is Made

The overlap between restraining orders and firearms isn't only relevant after an order is granted. Someone seeking a restraining order who mentions firearms in their evidence — and someone responding to an application who holds a licence — should both expect the issue to come up. Courts and firearms officials treat firearms access as a serious, independent safety question, separate from how the underlying family dispute otherwise resolves. Raising it early, honestly, and with legal advice tends to go better than having it surface as a surprise later in the process.

Frequently asked questions