Skip to content

'Essential' firearms course lined up for Rankin Inlet

Emphasis on safety and the 'huge responsibility' of carrying a gun
250129-kiv-palcoursephoto
A group of dedicated students study for the possession-and-acquisition licence course being delivered by Arctic Training Ltd.

A firearm possession-and-acquisition licence (PAL) course was held in Rankin Inlet from Jan. 30 until Feb. 1.

The PAL is a licence required to purchase, own and possess firearms and ammunition in Canada.

The course instructs individuals on the safe handling, storage and transportation of firearms, as well as the legal and ethical responsibilities of gun ownership.

Sabrina Berndt of Arctic Training Ltd. said having the possession-and-acquisition licence course gives a person their firearms licence, which allows individuals to go out and hunt.

She said with PAL being a possession-and-acquisition licence, a person without one would still be able to hunt, but they'd be doing so using a bow and arrow.

It's a three-day course,” said Berndt. “The first day, participants in Rankin will be doing the Nunavut hunter's safety training, which is online training that we do with individuals.

The next day, they'll move into the actual possession-and-acquisition course.

The Nunavut hunter's safety course will help ensure that individuals understand the rules, regulations and practices required to safely hunt in Nunavut.

The PAL course is regulated by the RCMP, so it's training-specified by what their requirements are.”

Berndt said Northern Future Skills is Arctic Training Ltd.'s training/funding partner.

She said Arctic Training Ltd. reaches out to the communities to set up the training initiatives.

We post through Facebook mostly. We work with the communities to gain registrations.

The maximum that we can have in a class is 12.”

Berndt said the course instructors are also regulated and trained by the RCMP.

Those who take a PAL course obtain the necessary training and certification to legally own and use firearms for hunting and fishing, she said.

The entire program is essential, but its most important components are how to safely handle a gun; understanding the weight of the responsibility that you carry when you're carrying a gun. That's a huge responsibility.

And, also, just learning to respect the land and the animals that call it home.”

She said for many Inuit, hunting is their livelihood, so they definitely respect the entire process.

They have a full commitment when they take the course.

Our instructor for Rankin Inlet is Inuk and he's from Nunavut. It's usually very different for our instructors going to a Nunavut community and I mean that in the most positive way.

The course is going to help anyone taking it. You also get the potential for people to attend who need it for their job, because they're hired to bear watch in certain areas.

This is the first time for Arctic Training to teach the course in Rankin, so we're pretty excited about that. There are a lot of Inuk instructors throughout the three regions, so they may do their own courses there too, but this is a first in Rankin for us.”



About the Author: Darrell Greer, Local Journalism Initiative

Read more