Stage Guns in Canada - where to find information?

[Fitz]

Hi there all!

In the next season our theatre is doing a couple of shows that involve weapons, and gun use on stage. I'm not the production stage manager for these shows, but I may end up training new SM's for the shows.  Can anyone recommend a good place to look for Canadian rules/regs for gun/weapon use on stage?

I tried googling, but all I got was NRA sites, which don't tell me what I need to know. I'll do the reading, if I can figure out where to go to read it.

Thanks for any help.

(If you don't know of any Canadian source material, American info would at least give me a place to start.)

[Lester]

All I know is that a firearms license is required by at least one of the crew or the stage manager themselves.  They come in both restricted and non-restricted firearms.  Any local firing range will probably be able to get you the licensing you need to own, control and safely see to firearms.  As far as firearm effects in canada, to build blanks you'll need to talk to a pyrotechnician company.  I only know of one off the top of my head in Alberta.

[crll]

A good link for Canadians in found from the Theatre Ontario website - under their "To Act in Safety" project.   Under the "Best Practices" section it gives some guidance on "Weapons - best practices for theatres" as well as " Weapons and Stage Combat".

The project was funded by a Trillium grant and is intended to help theatres at all ends of the spectrum - from schools ( it's found under the Schools link/Health and Safety on the main Theatre Ontario page) to professional theates.   It also gives a contact number at Theatre Ontario to call.  I'm assuming since Theatre Windsor is part of WODL, that you would be considered a member of Theatre Ontario as well.    Good Luck!

newbielink:http://www.theatreontario.org/theatresafety/index.htm [nonactive]

[Fitz]

I'm going to be spending a lot of time on that Theatre Ontario site I see.

Thanks for your help. I'll be going before the board with this information very soon.