Sterling Arms R18 MK2
The first Sterling Arms prohibition. Prohibited by OIC December 2024. The R9 MK1 (pilot) was prohibited by FRT reclassification seven months later.
Is the Sterling Arms R18 MK2 banned in Canada? Yes. The Sterling Arms R18 MK2 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 Sterling Arms R18 MK2 is the first of two Sterling Arms International products that have appeared on the Ban-Risk Index — the R9 MK1 (pilot entry) was the second. The R18 MK2 was prohibited under SOR/2024-248 on December 5, 2024 by Order in Council, as part of the December 2024 expansion that swept up most AR-pattern variants on the Canadian market. The R9 MK1 was prohibited seven months later, on July 6, 2025, by RCMP FRT reclassification under PFR Part 1, paragraph 99 — administrative pathway rather than legislative. The same Calgary manufacturer was caught by both regulatory mechanisms in less than a year. The R18 MK2 is the company's centrefire-rifle line; the R9 MK1 was its pistol-caliber-carbine sport line. Both prohibited, by different mechanisms, in the same calendar year. Sterling Arms now produces principally for law-enforcement and military contracts.
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: AR-15 pattern (visual reference; prohibited under SOR/2020-96)
Siblings: Sterling Arms R9 MK1 (PCC, prohibited by FRT 2025-07-06), Sterling Arms R18 MK3 (prohibited SOR/2024-248)
Derived: R18 MK2 production variants
Primary sources for this entry
- Canada Gazette — SOR/2024-248 — Canada Gazette. accessed 2024-12-06
- Sterling Arms International — R18 MK2 product page — Manufacturer. accessed 2026-05-27
- Alberta firearms maker 'riled up' as Mounties ban popular rifle (CBC) — Trade press. 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.