Taken from:

http://www.cfc-ccaf.gc.ca/Default-en.html

Coming to a State near you soon!!

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THE LAST FIREARMS ACQUISITION CERTIFICATES (FACs)
Dozens of calls are being received every day at the 1-800 call centre asking for the status of an FAC application. Before calling here is some useful information and some questions that need to be asked.

1. I applied for a Firearms Acquisition Certificate but received a Possession and Acquisition Licence. Why does my licence not indicate on the back that I can possess and acquire prohibited firearms? After all, I own some prohibited firearms now.

As set out in the Firearms Act, if your FAC application was still pending on December 1, 1998, when the Act came into effect, you received a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) instead. The PAL issued to FAC applicants shows their privileges for non-restricted and restricted firearms, but not for prohibited firearms. This is because the FAC application form, which was designed to comply with the former law, did not ask for the information needed to identify a person?s grandfathered privileges for prohibited firearms. If you own prohibited firearms, you must have your licence amended to show your prohibited-firearm privileges. To do this, fill out Schedule 3 of the application for a Possession and Acquisition Licence (form number JUS 670) and submit it to your Chief Firearms Officer (CF0). To get the address of your CFO, call 1 800 731-4000. The application form is available at post offices across Canada. You can also get it by calling the 1-800 line or by printing it off this Web site.
2. Who processes the FAC application?

Applications for Firearms Acquisition Certificates (FACs) could be submitted to police agencies that processed FACs before December 1, 1998. These police agencies are responsible for processing all of the FAC applications that the agency held on December 1, 1998 in accordance to the old rules . If you are refused, you would have received a notice of refusal.
3. Where does it go from there?

Since January 1, 1993, these same police agencies have been forwarding investigated and completed applications to the Office of the Chief Firearms Officer of a province or territory. The submitted FAC application includes the decision for issuance or refusal. The Office of the Chief Firearms Officer reviews the application.
4. Who enters the information in the system?

The approved or refused FAC application is then sent to the FAC Data Entry Center in Edmonton, Alberta. The functions of the FAC Data Entry Center include data entry and the image capture of photos and signatures. This is a temporary office until the last FAC application has been handled.
From September 1, 1998 to December 1, 1998, the FACs were printed in the Edmonton office as well.
Since December 1, 1998, a weekly electronic file batch of the approved FACs is sent to the new Central Processing Site at Miramichi, New Brunswick for printing.
5. What happens then?

Since some time has elapsed since the approval of the FAC by the Chief Firearms Officer, a last minute check of police databases is done in case there have been new events that may affect eligibility to hold the FAC.
If there are events that affect eligibility, then the application is returned to the Chief Firearms Officer for re-processing.
If there are no new events that affect eligibility, then the FAC is put in the electronic cue for printing. Hundreds can be printed in a day.
6. What will I be issued?

The system prints a Possession and Acquisition Licence and not the old style FAC. This is because of the transition provisions in the legislation. The licence is then mailed to the applicant.
7. How long will this go on?

This procedure continues after December 1, 1998 until the last FAC application is forwarded by the police agencies.
8. Where is my card?: If you have put in an application for a FAC prior to December 1, 1998, and you have not yet received either an FAC or a licence, there are a number of things to consider:

Local police:Have you checked with the local police agency? Have your name, date of birth and FAC application number with you when you call.
Has the police agency sent the FAC application to the Office of the Chief Firearms Officer? Ask the police agency – what is the confirmed date that the police agency actually mailed it to the office of the Chief Firearms Officer?
Chief firearms officer: What is the actual date that the Office of the Chief Firearms Officer of your province or territory actually sent it the Edmonton FAC processing office?
Allow 5-10 days from the actual date the Chief Firearms Officer sent it to Edmonton.
Edmonton FAC data entry center: Then allow 5-30 days for data entry, image capture, etc., depending on the backlog, before it is sent to the Miramichi Central Processing Office, depending on the volume.
Miramichi central processing site: Allow 5-30 days for the last minute check of police databases, printing and mailing, depending on the backlog. It is not possible to fix an exact date that a card will be printed and mailed. 500 or more can be printed in a given day.
Canada post: Allow 5-10 days for the mail to reach your door.
Backlog: There may be as many as 40,000 outstanding FAC applications in Canada as of December 1, 1998. If the backlog is larger than the 40,000 anticipated, it may take the full 80 days from the actual date the Chief Firearms Officer sent it to Edmonton.