Quoted for truth. Canada has a very good process.
Canada does have a very good process, speaking from experience of going through it myself. It nicely balances education plus checks and balances against legitimate access to firearms for law abiding citizens.
All handguns are classed as restricted firearms and as such subject to more stringent regulation. First you must obtain your restricted Possession and Acquisition license (RPAL). Two one day courses both with written and practical exams. At no point in this process do you actually fire a firearm, it is all about safe handling, storage and transport. Once your exams are passed your course transcript is sent to your provincial Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) for the first criminal record check and validation. If they see no reason for you not to possess a firearm they validate your transcript and send back to you. About a 2 week process. Only now can you send your application for your PAL to the RCMP. Once the RCMP receive your application there is a mandatory 28 day waiting period where they will not even touch your application. Only after the 28 days has elapsed will they begin to process your application, check your criminal records and contact your references. If you are very lucky the whole process from passing your exams to receiving your license will take about 6-7 weeks. Only now can you purchase a firearm or ammunition.
If you want a non-restricted firearm - most rifles or shotguns you are free to march into your local gun shop and say in a proud and happy voice 'I will take that one please'. They will take a record of your PAL and drivers license or other ID for every non-restricted firearm purchase and your PAL for ammunition purchase. You can pay your money and leave the store with your firearm and ammo. Even shoot it where you like subject to municipal bylaws and provincial laws.
Now if you want a restricted firearm - a handgun, AR-15 style rifle or whatever else the RCMP decides is restricted you can still march into your local gun store and say in a proud and happy voice "I will take that one please". They will still take the same details but once you have paid the firearm will be taken to their storage safe and you will only be able to pick it up once the registration documentation comes through from the RCMP about 2 weeks later. If you are a good customer some gun shops will let you pay when the paperwork has been processed.
Restricted firearms are subject to much more stringent storage, transport and use regulations. To transport you require an Authorisation to Transport (ATT). This used to be a pain in the arse but the Common Sense Firearms Act the Harper government introduced made it a little easier, once you register a restricted firearm against your RPAL you are automatically granted several electronic ATTs to transport firearms registered against the license by a route, that in all circumstances, is reasonably direct for the indicated purposes:
i) For the purpose of target shooting to and from all shooting clubs and ranges approved under section 29 of the firearms act.
ii) To and from any place a peace officer, firearms officer or chief firearms officer is located for verification, registration or disposal in accordance with the Firearms Act or Part III of the Criminal Code.
iii) To and from a business that holds a license authorising it to repair or appraise restricted firearms
iv) To and from a licensed gun show
v) To a port of exit in order to take them out of Canada and from a port of entry
vi) Transport of a newly acquired restricted firearm from the place of acquisition to the license holders dwelling or other place authorised by the CFO.
Anything out of those 6 categories you need to call the RCMP to ask for an ATT and justify it (I do know someone who got an ATT to take a firearm to a jewellers, long story). As for concealed or open carry...well basically not gonna happen. I you work the bullion vans, CBSA or MNR you may need to carry a handgun as part of your duties and you will get an Authorisation To Carry (ATC) only as you undertake your duties, if you keep your handgun at home you will require an ATT to get to and from work and be bound by the same storage and transport restrictions as any other restricted firearm owner. None of this strapping your sidearm on in the bedroom and driving to work. There are ATC's issued occasionally to civilians outside these areas but they are about as rare as rocking horse droppings.
As for the US concept of police officers or military personnel carrying firearms outside of their duty, again in Canada, unless in very exceptional circumstances this does not happen. If a serving or ex police officer or military person wants a private firearm they have to complete the same courses, exams and background checks as the rest of us and are subject to the same laws and restrictions.
Transport and storage of restricted firearms can be interpreted pretty similarly. The firearm needs to be 'Rendered inoperable with a secure locking device' such as a trigger lock that prevents the trigger being pulled or a cable lock through the action that prevents the action from closing. Also 'In a locked, opaque container' and 'Away from ammunition'.
Furthermore in Canada it is only legal to discharge a restricted firearm at an approved shooting range, even if you have some acres up north nowhere near anything if you discharge a restricted firearm you are breaking the law unless you have your range on your land inspected by the CFO and registered. As firearm ownership is a privilege they do take transgressions seriously and the fines and custodial sentences reflect that.
Legitimate firearms owners are not the problem here, we have gone through many hurdles and loopholes to get to the position to be able to acquire what we require for legitimate target shooting use, the vast majority are not going to endanger that for a couple of bucks. Most of us store, transport and handle our firearms to standards well in excess of what the law requires. There are hundreds of thousands of legitimately acquired handguns in Canada used within the legal requirements worth many millions of dollars. A good legitimate handgun can cost thousands. Who is going to compensate these owners in the event of a ban? Looking at yesterdays TPS release about recently seized handguns I note they are almost all Norinco.. a Chinese knock-off company. Cheap and to be quite frank pretty shoddy guns, I don't know a legit owner who owns one...