Legal answer
Possess a stun gun in Canada: legal status
Short electric shock devices such as stun guns are prohibited weapons in Canada and ordinary possession is not lawful.
Quick facts
Record at a glance
| Jurisdiction | Canada |
|---|---|
| Activity | possess a stun gun |
| Topic | Self-defence weapons |
| Answer | No |
| Official source | Official source checked |
| Next verification step | Confirm whether the device is a contact stun device or a projectile Taser style device before relying on this row. |
Conditions
What would need to be true
The prohibition covers devices designed to incapacitate by discharging an electric charge and shorter civilian self-defence shock devices are the clearest fit.
Exceptions
Known carve-outs
Projectile electric devices can be classified even more strictly as prohibited firearms and narrow statutory exceptions still exist for supervised lawful possession or prompt lawful disposal.
Penalties
Possible enforcement risk
Unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon can be prosecuted by indictment with up to five years imprisonment or by summary conviction.
Enforcement
How this is usually enforced
Police and border officers classify the device by its design length and firing method.
Same country
Related rules in Canada
Rules in the same topic appear first, followed by broader links within the same country.
| Action | Answer | Source status | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| buy a pepper spray | Depends | Official source checked | 2026-04-03 |
| buy a stun gun | No | Official source checked | 2026-04-03 |
| buy a taser | No | Official source checked | 2026-04-03 |
| buy brass knuckles | No | Official source checked | 2026-04-03 |
| carry a pepper spray | Depends | Official source checked | 2026-04-03 |
| carry a stun gun | No | Official source checked | 2026-04-03 |
Other countries
Compare the same action elsewhere
Where the same action is live in other countries, you can switch straight from here.
| Jurisdiction | Answer | Source status | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Depends | Official source checked | 2026-04-04 |
| Sweden | Depends | Official source checked | 2026-04-04 |
| Singapore | Depends | Official source checked | 2026-04-04 |
| Poland | Depends | Official source checked | 2026-04-04 |
| Netherlands | No | Official source checked | 2026-04-04 |
| Japan | Unclear | Official source checked | 2026-04-04 |
Official sources
Primary sources attached
How to read this page
Using the answer responsibly
The headline answer is meant to be quick to scan. The conditions, exceptions, and source links below matter just as much whenever the law turns on context.