Why do we have calibre restrictions on antique firearms?

[Shooting Centre]

As for the rest of the world, many European countries consider the firearm cut off date to be 1870 so be careful what you wish for.

As to why the prescribed calibres? In general the firearms act was written by clueless bureaucrats. Very likely in their minds there were almost no old firearms in other than the listed calibres. Note how they are mostly common US calibres? The anti gun groups in Canada just copy what the anti's in the US say. That is why 25 and 32 calibre handguns are prohibited here. So they have the US firearm "experts" tell them something, they repeat it in Canadian legislation and are happy with the result because Canadian gun owners get screwed.

 

[Sharps '63]

The anti gun groups in Canada just copy what the anti's in the US say. That is why 25 and 32 calibre handguns are prohibited here. So they have the US firearm "experts" tell them something, they repeat it in Canadian legislation and are happy with the result because Canadian gun owners get screwed.

.... and wouldn't say "Sh!t" if they had a mouthful of it ....

 

[41 Colt]

I just wonder when the last time a politician went to Canadian Tire and tried to buy a box if 38 Long Colt. It's as extinct as many not on the list, even more so than some.

My guess is it's too close to .38spl, and people would just fire .38spl in them. However a gun modified to .38spl specifically is antique.

 

[Sharps '63]

All you gotta do to create .38 Colt brass is slap .38 Spl. into a case trimmer.

 

[trevj]

"...the logic..." No logic involved. However, it was about the availabilty of ammo. Mind you, if a criminal points an empty antique revolver at a cop, the cop will shoot. He'll likely miss the first 12 shots but he'll shoot. Makes 'em sad to shoot a criminal.
"...the Ron Basford era..." That'd be when the really stupid crap started. Nunchuks, morning stars, blow guns and shuriken were all declared evil as of 1 Jan. 78. No explanation as to why either.

The availability of ammo was written in to a very well distributed draft proposal of the new firearms laws, but never made it to the final cut.

You would never know, though, given the number of times it gets mindlessly puked up.

My personal theory is that the Elected, had too much time on their hands, and spent too much of that in the theatres getting 'educated' as to the evils of deadly super ninja kung pow fooey weapons, by those bastions of accurate portrayals, the Screen Actors Guild.
Much to dangerous, eh?

I have read, but cannot confirm, that there were folks there on the committee that saw the holes as written, and kept their mouths shut, and for that reason, there were some that 'got away'.

I still believe that a fellow with time on his hands, and a stack of old gun magazines, could sit down with the various OIC ban lists, and figure out which ones were in the bundle that some lackey grabbed at the newsstand to use for reference material when they wrote the lists.

Cheers
Trev