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Firearms in an Estate: United States, United Kingdom, Canada

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says an executor may possess estate firearms while settling the estate, even if the executor holds no licence.

By Neil Solomon · 3 min read

Picture a son who has just been named executor of his father's estate. In a locked cabinet in the hall are a hunting rifle, a shotgun and a box of old ammunition. He holds no firearms licence himself. What does he do before he touches them?

The three countries answer differently, and the answers come from police and federal agency pages.

Canada

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police says an executor may possess estate firearms while settling the estate, even if the executor holds no licence. The executor files the Mounted Police form numbered 6016 with a death certificate. The guns must be transferred or disposed of lawfully within a reasonable time.

An heir must be 18 or older and hold a valid licence of the right class. Handguns may not be inherited unless the heir qualifies for an exemption. With no eligible heir, the police list these routes: transfer to an exempt individual, to a licensed business or to a museum, export, permanent deactivation by an approved gunsmith, or handing the guns to police. One law firm, writing in March 2026, advises calling the police before moving any firearm, because transporting one improperly can bring legal consequences by itself.

United Kingdom

Devon and Cornwall Police say a gun may be lawfully inherited, but it can only be lawfully possessed with the right certificate. Families are asked to tell the firearms licensing department urgently. The executor holds the guns for the estate. The options listed are a registered firearms dealer or auction house, another certificate holder, police storage, or a temporary permit under section 7 of the Firearms Act 1968. The police page says this permit normally takes 2 to 3 months, costs nothing and cannot authorize acquiring a gun.

An heir may sell to someone authorized, give a gun to a person who can hold it, give it to a club or museum, or have it deactivated. A gun given to someone who cannot yet hold it must be stored legally until they can.

United States

The federal agency says the making and transfer tax on most firearms in the National Firearms Act is US$200, unchanged since 1934. That Act covers short-barrel rifles and shotguns, machine guns, suppressors, destructive devices and a group called any other weapons.

An attorney's blog, quoting the agency's handbook, says an executor has a reasonable time, no later than the close of probate, to file Form 4 for a sale or Form 5 for a transfer to an heir. If registration papers are missing, the executor writes to the agency's registry with proof of authority. The executor has the same limits as an owner. A buyer in another state, for example, goes through a dealer. This is one lawyer's reading of the handbook, not the agency's own page.

Voicing the doubt

You might say, "I only need to move them to my house for now." One Canadian law firm advises calling the police before any move, because transport alone can bring consequences. The UK page says the heir needs a certificate to possess. The sources do not say the same thing in each country, so the local page is the one to read.

Who this touches

An estate with guns touches the person grieving, the executor with no licence, and the heir with one. It also touches an heir under 18, since the Canadian guidance sets 18 as the age for a beneficiary.

Doors you could open

You could start with a list: each gun, its make, serial number and any registration paper. You could call the local police or the agency's registry before moving anything.

Have you been the executor of an estate with firearms in it? Share what the first call was. Someone may be reading this the week it happens to them.

Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Date read: October 2026.