In Canadian gun laws, dysfunction and confusion is deliberateSome say our classification system is politicized. And there's some truth to that. But the real answer is worse. The system is ... random.
Canadians often assume our government is doing its best. Not the politicians, sure, but there is a broad assumption that at least the bureaucrats tirelessly working behind the scenes to implement political decisions must have a grasp on the facts and exhibit some consistency in decision-making. In few places is there a larger discrepancy between this perception and the grimmer reality than in how the government classifies firearms.
According to the obtained internal document, firearm advertising, descriptions offered by the manufacturer, and articles by the firearm press, or even perception by the general public, contribute to whether one firearm is considered a variant of another. An advertisement, or a press article, that links a firearm to a prohibited firearm can contribute to the “discovery” of a new variant.
This is nonsense.
Some argue this is a clue that variant classifications by the RCMP are as political and agenda driven as those by cabinet. There is undoubtedly some truth to that, but the complete truth is worse: it is random.
Given the continual failure of the federal government to correct the issue, we might assume the system is working as the government intends. The dysfunction becomes the purpose. The leeway offered to the regulator to achieve the outcomes it wants is paramount; fairness, predictability, and proper administrative procedure be damned.
https://theline.substack.com/p/tim-thurley-in-canadian-gun-laws
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