Calgary-based firearms manufacturer shuts down, lays off workers following RCMP decision to prohibit R9 Mk1 sporting rifle
BY Herschel Smith
15 hours, 8 minutes ago
A sudden decision by the RCMP has left Calgary-based firearms manufacturer Sterling Arms International uncertain about the company’s future after their R9 Mk1 sporting rifle was listed as a prohibited weapon under the Firearm Reference Table.
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In a decision by the RCMP on Sunday, it listed the R9, and its sub-models the 198846-1 and 198846-2, as prohibited firearms under the FRT maintained by the RCMP’s Specialized Policing Services.
Sterling Arms International operations manager Mike Scott said that with the decision in place, both themselves and gun retailers in Canada can no longer sell what they have in stock.
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“We’ve essentially shut down an entire production line, and our business is ground to a halt,” Scott said.
J.R. Cox, president of Sterling Arms International and owner of The Shooting Edge indoor firing range that closed last October, said the R9 is a pistol caliber carbine that is designed as a sporting rifle.
The R9 Mk1 is a blowback operated semi-automatic rifle chambered in 9mm. It consists of a 18.6 inch barrel and weighs 3.1 kg without a magazine.
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“It was designed for competitors to use in pistol-caliber competitions [like] the Steel Challenge, IPSC, or PPC,” Cox said.
Shutting down firearms manufacturers has always been the holy grail of gun control.
The solution, of course, is to secede from Canada.
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On July 14, 2025 at 5:00 am, jrg said:
Secede or move production to firearm friendly U.S. states. If the firearm is that useful – we will buy.