FN SCAR 16S
The civilian semi-auto descendant of the U.S. SOCOM Mk 16. Named exactly because of what it descends from. The lineage is the case.
Is the FN SCAR 16S banned in Canada? Yes. The FN SCAR 16S is prohibited in Canada. It was named in SOR/2024-248 (December 2024). If you owned one before the deadline, confirm whether it appears on the federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program list. The current amnesty for prohibited firearms expires 90 days after the latest Supreme Court appeal termination under SOR/2026-114.
Classification: Prohibited · OIC/SOR: SOR/2024-248 · Ban-Risk: Already Gone · Compensation: Confirm federal list · Amnesty: SCC appeals + 90 days
Verdict
The FN SCAR 16S is the civilian semi-automatic descendant of the FN SCAR-L military rifle that the U.S. Special Operations Command adopted as the Mk 16 in 2009. Almost everything about the SCAR 16S that the SOR criteria reach — short-stroke gas piston, folding stock, pistol grip, modular polymer body — is borrowed directly from that military lineage and is exactly what the regulation was written to capture. The rubric scores it 12/15 cleanly; the OIC named it in December 2024. The SCAR 16S is on the Index because Canadian PRS shooters used it for service-rifle competition and because at $4,500–5,000 retail it was the flagship-tier semi-auto choice for sport shooters who wanted a non-AR option. It is also the rifle that proves the rubric's lineage dimension is doing the work it was designed to do.
Tracking a rifle on this list?
The Ban-Risk Index updates as classifications and the federal compensation list change. Get those changes, and the SCC + 90-day amnesty deadline reminders, in The Dispatch.
Lineage
Parents: FN SCAR-L (military, never civilian-legal)
Siblings: FN SCAR 17S (.308, prohibited SOR/2024-248), FN SCAR 20S (precision, prohibited)
Derived: SCAR 17S sub-variants
Primary sources for this entry
- Canada Gazette — SOR/2024-248 — Canada Gazette. accessed 2024-12-06
- FN SCAR 16S NRCH — manufacturer product page — Manufacturer. accessed 2026-05-27
Safety note: the Ban-Risk Index is editorial estimation, not legal advice or a substitute for current official guidance. The classification field reflects current RCMP FRT status as of the last-scored date. For any transfer, surrender, deactivation, or transport question, consult primary RCMP / Public Safety Canada sources and, where appropriate, a Canadian firearms lawyer.