Vancouver’s historic 9 O’Clock Gun taking a break due to powder shortage

Here’s a weird little bit of news for you. The Vancouver Park Board announced that after today, the 9 O’Clock Gun in Vancouver would stop firing for the foreseeable future, due to a ‘powder shortage’. The gun is roughly two centuries old, and has been fired regularly in Vancouver for over 100 years.

The gun has gone through other ‘silent’ periods over the years, but this is the first time it’s happened because they literally can’t get the powder to fire it. Due to its age, the 9 O’Clock Gun requires legitimate black powder to properly fire. We had no idea this issue existed, and as it turns out, gun collectors and enthusiasts have been talking about a dwindling supply for over a year. Weird!

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Now, Park Board and City of Vancouver staff will look into other options for getting it to fire. In a press release, the city mentioned that their supplier actually closed up shop last fall, and today is the last of their stockpile. So, if you’ve got a lead on a black powder supplier (because why not?) then now might to be the time to share it.

Otherwise, one of Vancouver’s most well-known monument might be taking an extended hiatus.