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From what I've learned about firearms in Canada; on May 1st, 2020 Canada banned the possession and any use of 9 types of rifles and shotguns. It's up on the RCMP website. IIRC Canada banned handguns a number of years ago. It's late for me and I didn't search deeply. I've never been there but I was curious.
Note that gun laws in Canada are federal, not provincial; so gun laws are uniform across the country. Saskatchewan (and Ontario and Nova Scotia and so on) cannot effect their own gun laws.
Are you free to carry and use guns in Saskatchewan without much regulation or are they basically illegal?
As Chevy mentioned above, firearms are federally regulated in Canada, they aren't provincially regulated. So they're going to be the same for all citizens in all provinces.
Aside from certain types of restricted or banned firearms and certain other weapons and accessories, firearms are not illegal to own in Canada but citizens must first qualify to be eligible and be authorized/licensed to own and use firearms.
In answer to your main question, Canada's firearms regulations are much stricter than regulations anywhere in America and citizens are not free to own, carry or use guns anywhere in Canada without having to follow all of the regulations.
As a licensed gun owner, the laws are simple. You have to start with a long gun safety course and pass a background check. Then you get your PAL and can buy a shotgun or rifle. Up until recently, that included semi-auto AR and AK types, but the federal Liberals passed a law to ban those models going forward, despite the fact that practically 0 crimes are committed with licensed long guns of any kind in Canada.
You can possess and carry long guns in public, but there are rules about that. Basically, if you don’t live in the country, don’t walk around with a long gun unless you are hunting. The police will be called and it will be a whole thing. You must also keep your gun stored in a safe or with a trigger lock and ammo must be stored separately.
You can get your ‘Restricted’ license (for handguns) as soon as you’ve finished your long gun license. Unless you are a collector, live in the country, or do a lot of target shooting at a range, it may not be worth your while because you can’t carry a handgun with you anywhere - like for protection or whatever. Handguns must be locked away when at the home or stored at the range. Otherwise, you have to notify law enforcement if you are transporting a secured hand gun.
There are lots of guns in Canada and hunting is a part of the culture here. However, we do not have a gun culture resembling that of the US, and never will. I’m pretty sure gun laws are federal, so there aren’t “lenient” and “strict” states like you find in the US.
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