Saiga-12
The AK-pattern shotgun. Prohibited under SOR/2020-96 as part of the AK family. The Index's fifth shotgun entry.
Is the Saiga-12 banned in Canada? Yes. The Saiga-12 is prohibited in Canada. It was named across SOR/2020-96 (May 2020) and SOR/2025-86 (March 2025). 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/2020-96 + SOR/2025-86 · Ban-Risk: Already Gone · Compensation: Confirm federal list · Amnesty: SCC appeals + 90 days
Verdict
The Saiga-12 was the first commercially successful AK-pattern shotgun — Izhmash's civilian sporting variant of the AK platform, chambered in 12 gauge with magazine-fed semi-automatic operation. Released in the 1990s and imported into Canada through the 2000s and 2010s as a Non-restricted sporting shotgun, the Saiga-12 became the basis for the Canadian 3-Gun competition's shotgun stages alongside the bullpup Turkish entries covered in Batches 2–4. SOR/2020-96 named the Saiga-12 by AK-pattern designation on May 1, 2020 — the AK family's named status covered every commercial variant from the rifle-pattern Saiga to the shotgun-pattern Saiga-12 and the carbine-pattern Saiga-308. Post-2022 sanctions on Russian-manufactured commercial firearms further closed the import pathway. The Index's shotgun coverage now includes one AK-pattern shotgun (this entry, SOR/2020-96) alongside four Turkish/Chinese bullpup shotguns (SOR/2025-86). Different regulatory pathways; same outcome.
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: AK-47 pattern (1947 Soviet military) → Saiga civilian sport line (1990s Izhmash) → Saiga-12 shotgun variant
Primary sources for this entry
- Canada Gazette — Canada Gazette. accessed 2026-05-27
- Saiga-12 Wikipedia reference (Tertiary, accessed 2026-05-27) — Other. 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.
