Reference Number for Transfer of Non-Restricted Firearms. The requirement for a reference number for transfer of non-restricted firearms is likely intended to improve public safety by identifying firearms licensees purchasing large numbers of firearms and who may be engaged in “straw purchases” for unlicensed individuals.
Confiscation of Prohibited Items without Compensation. This change is very troubling because the RCMP could reclassify an item as prohibited that was lawfully purchased under the previous interpretation, and then seize the item. I’m no lawyer but I believe this scenario is akin to an officially induced error. I don’t understand how an item can change classification unless it was misrepresented or originally classified in error, in which latter case the classifying authority should be liable for any damages caused by its error. For example, AR-type carbines lawfully purchased as restricted firearms, as specified by the RCMP or legislation, should not be seized without compensation if the RCMP reclassify them as prohibited, which implies that the RCMP erred in the original classification.