Canadian Firearms Safety Course for the Film Industry with Dave Brown (An FTM and IATSE 856 Accelerator)

June 18 & 19, 2022 at 9:00AM – 6:00PM – (CFSC)

June 25, 2022 at 9:00AM – 6:00PM – (CRFSC)

Location: Northwest Law Enforcement Academy, 2nd floor, 1821 Wellington Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0G4

Registration Fee: $250 (registration in advance. no walk-ins) Course exclusive to IATSE 856 members and permittees only.

To register online click here and select ‘Canadian Firearms Safety Course’ from the list of courses.

*Please note: all three days must be attended to apply for your Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL)*

(This course is strongly recommended for members and permittees of IATSE 856 in the props and art department.)

Course Outline: 

The Canadian Firearms Safety Course and Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course for the Film Industry in Manitoba (An IATSE 856 and FTM Accelerator) are the two mandatory safety training courses for persons in Canada who wish to apply for a firearms Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL.) They provide valuable lessons on firearms safety, firearms regulations and firearms safety and handling for both long guns (rifles and shotguns) and restricted firearms (handguns.) Both courses are integrated with additional information on handling firearms and replica firearms on film sets. Extensive hands-on handling with disabled firearms and dummy (training) ammunition is an important part of the course. At the conclusion of each course, participants will be expected to pass a Written Test and a Practical Test in order to receive their safety training reports. Successful participants can then apply for their PAL upon the conclusion of both courses.

About the instructor

Dave Brown is a Winnipeg-based firearms training specialist and coach. With over 30 years’ experience as a professional firearms instructor, Dave has trained military, police officers, tactical teams and government agencies on firearms safety and weapons handling and was one of the primary subject-matter experts in the design of the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course. In addition to helping write the book on firearms safety in Canada, Dave has had over 80 articles published in various magazines, been an expert witness in court and lectured on the science behind police firearms training for the Canadian Association of Journalists and the University of Manitoba Law School.

His knowledge of firearms and his high standards of safety led Dave to the film and theatre industry where he has now worked on hundreds of productions and trained countless actors on safety and handling skills over a career spanning 25 years. Dave is unique in having written articles for both Canadian Cinematographer Magazine and American Cinematographer Magazine, as well as having appeared on programs such as CNN and Discovery Channel to talk about firearms safety in the film industry.

In 2016, Dave was asked to help design the Firearms Safety Module for IATSE’s Training Trust Fund and develop the online safety course for all IATSE film and stage locals in North America.


DISCLAIMER: By taking Film Training Manitoba’s sessions, you agree and accept the following terms and conditions: Participants cannot record or screen-grab any part of online courses for personal use, distribution, etc. 

All course materials given to participants cannot be distributed or shared with others. All materials, imagery, ideas, instructions, and teachings are intellectual property of Film Training Manitoba. All distribution, sharing, screenshots, or any form of recording is strictly prohibited. 


FTM is a non-for-profit charity and member of the Province of Manitoba’s sector council program (through the Department of Economic Development and Jobs). FTM conducts workforce development and training to build a highly skilled and adaptable film industry to support the activities of Manitoba production companies. FTM collaborates with members of the film and television industry to identify the training needs within the community. 

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