5 years (indictable) / 2 years less a day (summary)
Hybrid offence with a 5-year indictable maximum. Under IRPA s.36(3)(a) it is deemed indictable even when prosecuted summarily, so it creates criminality under s.36(2). Five years is below the 10-year threshold, so it is not serious criminality on the maximum alone, but a sentence of more than six months actually imposed would reach s.36(1)(a). Weapons records are examined closely at ports of entry.
Carrying a weapon out of sight, under a coat or in a bag, rather than in the open. The serious route tops out at 5 years, which keeps it under the 10 year line, so it usually reads as ordinary criminality. Concealment is what the charge turns on rather than the object itself, so the same item carried openly may not be an offence at all.
(1) Every person commits an offence who carries a weapon, a prohibited device or any prohibited ammunition concealed, unless the person is authorized under the Firearms Act to carry it concealed. (2) Every person who commits an offence under subsection (1) (a) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years; or (b) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.