Ask Solomon – Ammo Storage – Response

Keith from Oshawa, ON asked:

Am I allowed to store a hunting rifle (non-rest) in the same locked safe as the ammunition for the gun or does ammo need to be stored separately?

This is a relatively common question for Canadian gun owners. This is also an area where instructors sometimes err, replacing the actual legal standard with their own view of “safe practices”.
The RCMP fact sheet on Safe Storage reads as follows:

Store the ammunition separately or lock it up. It can be stored in the same locked container as the firearm.

The source of this rule is the Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations (SOR/98-209), particularly paragraph 5 (1) (c) which states that a non-restricted firearms must be stored in such a way that it is not readily accessible to ammunition, “unless the ammunition is stored, together with or separately from the firearm, in a container or receptacle that is kept securely locked and that is constructed so that it cannot readily be broken open or into.”
So there you have it. Ammunition may be stored in the same locked container (box, safe, cabinet, etc.) as a non-restricted firearm.
For more information on the topic of gun storage and transportation laws, see this page in our Resources section.