Kel-Tec RDB
Kel-Tec's flagship bullpup. Downward-ejection mechanism made it the most ambidextrous bullpup on the market. Named with the entire Kel-Tec catalogue.
Is the Kel-Tec RDB banned in Canada? Yes. The Kel-Tec RDB 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 Kel-Tec RDB is the company's flagship bullpup, released in 2014 with a downward-ejection mechanism that solved the standard bullpup ambidexterity problem — most bullpups require modification or are unsafe for left-handed shooters, the RDB simply ejected casings straight down regardless of which shoulder you fired from. Canadian sport shooters bought it as the most ambidextrous bullpup option in the market, alongside the heavier and more expensive Tavor X95. SOR/2024-248 named the RDB on December 5, 2024 alongside seventeen other Kel-Tec platforms — every Kel-Tec rifle on the Canadian market in one named cluster. The RDB-C compact variant and the RFB .308 bullpup sibling all moved with it. Kel-Tec's complete civilian rifle catalogue was prohibited in one Order in Council; what remained of Kel-Tec's Canadian-market presence after December 2024 was the Sub-2000 (separate entry) under the same regulatory umbrella.
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: Original Kel-Tec design
Siblings: Kel-Tec RDB-C compact (prohibited), Kel-Tec RFB .308 (prohibited), Kel-Tec RMR30 .22 WMR (prohibited)
Derived: RDB Survival, RDB Defender sub-variants
Primary sources for this entry
- Canada Gazette — SOR/2024-248 — Canada Gazette. accessed 2024-12-06
- Kel-Tec RDB Series — 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.