Bless The Throne Of Tyranny
member
This was on DoingFreedom.com a few years ago, before the site just kinda went away. 
But i saved alot of the files there. Please note that by reading this, you are automatically agreeing that i will not be held responsible for what you do with this info. If you disagree, please demonstrate that by not reading the article.
This was written several years ago, so might not be accurate today.
A Monkey-Wrencher's Guide to C-68
Editorial Note: This how-to refers specifically to the Canadian gun control law. However, many of the suggestions offered herein would probably work in other gun-grabbing places, such as Australia and "Great" Britain. Unfortunately, it appears that the day is looming when it will be useful in the United States as well. Read it, know the laws in your area, then use what directly applies, and tweak the things that don't so that they will. Copy and distribute the manual to everyone you know--and trust!--who you think will use it. {Furious George has given explicit permission for this activity.} Print up some copies and leave them at your local shooting range, gun stores, and gun shows that come to your area.
As Furious said in his prologue:
What follows are some legal and not so legal methods of resisting Bill C-68, The Firearms Act. The legal ones come from a variety of sources including major pro-firearms organizations, magazines and the Internet. Nobody was consulted for permission to use their ideas, and they will probably be angry to find them included here. Maybe not.
The tactics described herein are best described as "civil disobedience", "non-cooperation", and "passive resistance": Using the system against itself, working to rule, and never volunteering to help.
The more people who use these tactics, the sooner the new system will be exposed as the costly fraud it is. If you are one of the sheepish, mewling, crybabies who think that radical action/speaking out makes firearms owners "look bad", and that if we would only comply with the governments silly laws just "one more time" they will "leave us alone", [stop reading] immediately. It is not for you. Go back to dreamland.
WARNING: Implementing the tactics in this manual (even the legal ones) may draw unpleasant reprisals against you. Being morally and factually right is not the same as being harassment-proof. The authorities may want to "make an example" of you to scare others into quietly complying. Therefore, make sure you are squeaky clean: plug those last few high cap mags to their legal capacity. Make sure your storage is tight. If you have a lot of ammo at your home, consider storing it off site, thus thwarting any "arsenal" pictures on the front page of the paper should the police get an "anonymous" tip and decide to inspect/raid you. Take the Tracy Lords videotape out of your golf bag and store it at your brother's place. The same goes for any other contraband you may have, like firecrackers, dope, or a smoke alarm with dead batteries. The new Firearms Act allows them to seize your computer and discs. If you have things in them you don't want them to see, encrypt them with PGP or one of the other encryption programs available for free off the Internet. Deleted files can be recovered unless you learn and use techniques to avoid this. Learn today! Similarly, the feds keep changing the law--some of these tactics may become null and void without notice. Legal stuff: This manual is accurate at the time it was published! Don't even think about suing the author or the person who gave this manual to you if you get in trouble. Use at your own risk!
IF YOU GET BUSTED OR HARASSED: Never admit to anything. You have a right to remain silent so use it. Be polite and calm.
DO NOT EVEN DREAM OF TRYING THESE TACTICS IF: You think O.J. was innocent. You think the Spice Girls are talented. You think Michael Jackson is not a . You don't think the government will try to ban ALL guns.
No monkeys were harmed during the production of this manual.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CFC - The Canadian Firearms Center. Located in Miramachi, NB it is the agency tasked with administering the Firearms Act.
Civil Disobedience/non cooperation/passive resistance - Resistance to government measures by non violent means.
FRAS - Firearms Registration Administration System. The "old" firearms registry maintained by the RCMP. Believed to have a 40% error rate. It is no longer useable in court.
FRT - Firearms Reference Table. A computer program used by a verifier to identify a firearm by entering in certain descriptors of the firearm in question. Highly susceptible to error and misidentification. Will quickly become known as FaRT.
FPC - Firearms Possession Certificate. Replaces the old FAC. Has different classes for different types of firearms.
Unique - One and only specimen of a kind. Having no like or equal. (In order for the registration system to work without error, each and every firearm in Canada must be uniquely identified. This is virtually impossible, even more so if people register their firearms as unknown ( mentioned elsewhere).
Verification - Confirmation that a firearm has been accurately described. Or, having a firearm described by a verifier on an "Application to Register".
Verifier - A poorly trained and equipped volunteer tasked with the impossible job of ensuring only quality information is entered into the firearms registry. Uses the FaRT disk to describe fireams. Originally, the government thought they would get gun collectors and shooters to do this job, but because of the dangers mentioned elsewhere nobody has volunteered. Only an idiot or an anti-gunner would be a verifier.
VERIFICATION: What is it and why is it so dangerous?
When registering your firearms, the application form asks you a bunch of questions like make, model, serial number, barrel length, caliber, magazine capacity etc. At the bottom of the form is a place where they want you to sign. As soon as you, or someone else, signs the new "Application to Register", you/they have "verified the information on this application to be true." They could really screw you if you make an honest mistake, or put what you think is the right info. Read on...
Any information that appears on an "Application to Register" over your signature is information that you are responsible for, so it is strongly recommended that you fill in each and every "identifying" box with the word "unknown"--and that you insist on leaving it that way. The information the government wants to put in those boxes must then be supplied by the government's own "verifier" on a separate sheet of paper over HIS signature, so that YOU will not be responsible if HE makes an error.
WARNING: Any person who acts as an "Approved Verifier" OR a "Business Verifier" is at risk. It does not matter WHAT you put down on an "Application to Register"--it can be shown to be "false or misleading" by a prosecutor.
EXAMPLE: One "verifier" calls a shotgun "Make: Browning" and "Model: Auto-5." Another calls it "Make: Fabrique Nationale" and "Model: Automatic." Obviously, at least ONE of those is "false or misleading"--but WHICH? There are NO SET STANDARDS for entries to the Application to Register form "identifying" boxes--so ANY entry can be RULED to be "false or misleading."
Even if you consider yourself to be a firearms expert, the only safe way to fill out an Application to Register is to put "UNK" or "UNKNOWN" into every box.
More foul snares in which you could get strangled by trying to be honest
(1) You fill in the "Serial Number" box with the number that is plainly stamped on the bottom of the trigger guard of an Iver Johnson revolver. WRONG. The trigger guard is NOT the "frame or receiver." It is easily removed and replaced. The correct place to look for an Iver Johnson Serial Number is UNDER THE LEFT GRIP. Once inside, there may be a letter, stamped at an angle to the number and at a distance from it. That letter is PART of the Serial number--and it is NOT on the trigger guard.
(2) You fill in the "Make" box with "Savage" while applying to register a lever action Savage rifle. Unfortunately, it was made in Spain--and not by "Savage." Similarly, the "frame or receiver" of many rifles marked with the names of British companies were actually made in other countries. Some "Marlin" rifles were made by Sako in Finland. "Brownings" (or are they Fabrique National?) were made in Belgium AND Japan.
(3) You fill in the "Serial Number" box while applying to register a bolt action sporter marked Husqvarna. You do not notice that the Serial Number is stamped into the BARREL--which is an uncontrolled spare part, and therefore cannot identify the "frame or receiver" which IS, in LAW, the "firearm."
4) You fill in the "Caliber" box as .308. Unbeknownst to you, their computer will only recognize 7.62mm as a description of that particular cartridge. Or 7.62x51. Or .308Win. Will they consider your attempt at being honest as a legitimate mistake? Maybe. Twelve months of waiting for a week-long court case and $2000 in legal fees will tell...
ALL "verifiers" (and YOU) are placed at risk by the language of C-68's Firearms Act section 106:
"106. (1) Every person commits an offence WHO...KNOWINGLY MAKES A STATEMENT orally or in writing that is false or misleading..." and is "for the purpose of procuring a licence, REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE or authorization for that person OR ANY OTHER PERSON."
That language is a trap for any "verifier" OR other person attempting to register a firearm. By the rules of English, the word "knowingly" ONLY applies to the words, "makes a statement." The word "knowingly" does NOT apply to the following words, "that is false or misleading." Therefore, any honest error on an Application to Register--even any VERBAL comment made during the process of applying for a registration--is CRIMINALIZED.
That is emphasized by section 106(3):
"106. (3) In this section, 'statement' means an assertion of fact, OPINION, BELIEF or knowledge, WHETHER MATERIAL OR NOT AND WHETHER ADMISSIBLE OR NOT.
Firearms Act section 109:
"109. (1) Every person who commits an offence under section 106...(a) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to IMPRISONMENT FOR A TERM NOT EXCEEDING TWO YEARS; or (b) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction."
A summary conviction offence carries a maximum penalty of up to SIX MONTHS IMPRISONMENT and a fine of up to $2000.
Either way, and even if the "actual" penalty is a small fine, you get a CRIMINAL RECORD as a FIREARMS OFFENDER--which will result in your entry to other countries, INCLUDING THE U.S., being DENIED if they ask about your criminal record. In Canada, it will void any chance of your being BONDED--and few companies want to hire anyone with a CRIMINAL RECORD. Every polite effort made to have the deadly wording of 106(1) CHANGED has been flatly rejected by the government...
REGISTRATION
At the time of this writing, you have until Jan 1, 2003 to register firearms you currently own. Any new firearms you acquire after the new law comes into effect in October '98 will have to be registered as you get them. Firearms already registered under the old FRAS system (pistols) will have to be re registered by Jan 1, 2001.
CAUTION: The above dates are not carved in stone--the Gov't could change them at any time! Be ready! Also--BE SURE TO HAVE AN FAC OR A NEW FIREARMS LICENCE BY JAN 1, 2001. You will have to be a licenced owner to register late in 2003.
People are talking about gathering the registration postcards and destroying them en masse. (They should first have some ready in case the Gov't changes the dates!) This would crush the amount budgeted to implement the registration. It would also anger a lot of the ass-kissers who will want to be the first in line to register their guns. Gun owners can then bitch about not being able to comply with the law! "But it was supposed to be sooo easy to do!"
What follows are some techniques to implement against the registration.
Dancing On The Head Of A Pin:
"Dancing on the head of a pin" is an NFA technical term meaning "using the legislation creatively in ways the Firearms Control Bureaucracy has apparently not expected."
Some people have been advocating that no one should register ANY firearm when C-68 comes into force. While that does set up an impossible situation, Ottawa really does not care about it. They regard the inevitable finding of unregistered guns--while searching for other items, as a result of hostile neighbors, etc.--as prosecutions that WILL happen, and that WILL pressure people to "dump" their firearms as being too risky to keep.
It is more fun to "dance on the head of a pin." The registration system is deeply flawed. It is only useful if it can identify each and every firearm in Canada UNIQUELY. The word "unique" is a powerful word. It is an absolute, like "dead" or "pregnant." You cannot legitimately say "almost unique" any more than you can say "almost pregnant." It is or it isn't, and there are no modifiers that can be used legitimately.
Ottawa tries to identify firearms uniquely by describing seven characteristics of the firearm that it shares with a group of other firearms, then using the serial number as the 8th characteristic--the one that identifies it "uniquely." That is their theory, and it is garbage.
Some of the 7 characteristics are variables. Either there are several possible entries [e.g., COLT, COLT (ITHACA), ITHACA, ITHACA (COLT) for an Ithaca-made Colt .45 service pistol], or the firearm itself can change after leaving the factory [Colt .45 re-barreled to .38 Super, barrel length changed, magazine capacity changed...].
Serial numbers do NOT "uniquely" identify a firearm within a particular group. Many manufacturers routinely duplicate serial numbers [Iver Johnson made 9,000,000 revolvers using a 5-digit serial number system; Colt .38 Super M1911 pistols use serial numbers which duplicate military Colt serial numbers and .38 Supers can be re-barreled to .45, etc.].
Go to your nearest large gun store, and start looking. Look at that cut-down Mauser 98 sporter. What "MAKE" is it? Probably NOT "Mauser."
Mauser was the DESIGNER, but it may have been MADE in any one of many factories in many countries--all of them duplicating each other's serial numbers. The current caliber and barrel length may not be those that it had when it left the factory--and they may be changed AGAIN by the next owner. Many 98 Mausers are converted, even to 2-shot 12-gauge shotguns!
So: Present such a puzzle to the authorities for registration. YOU cannot give them ANY advice on what it is, or how it should be registered. That is MUCH too risky. If they disagree with you, they can charge you with "making a statement" that turned out to be "false or misleading" in an attempt to get registration--and that is a crime.
NEVER tell them your "belief" or "opinion" in ANYTHING having to do with registration--or risk being charged. Read FAs 106(1) and (3) if you don't believe that; they do NOT cover "making a statement" that you "KNOW to be false or misleading"; they DO cover "making a statement" that you BELIEVE to be true, but which turns out to be "false or misleading"--in their opinion. NEVER tell them ANYTHING about ANY firearm! It's too risky!
THEY claim to be able to "uniquely" identify ANY firearm. That is interesting. The RCMP reference collection contains many firearms, and 19 per cent of them have no serial numbers. About 2 per cent are firearms that THEY cannot identify--even with their access to expensive reference books, computers, and other agencies.
Therefore, "dance on the head of a pin." TEST their claim that they can "uniquely" identify ANY firearm. Buy an odd-looking .22 single-shot rifle with no serial number, and register it. If YOU are not satisfied their registration certificate is "unique" and that it PERFECTLY identifies the firearm, REJECT it and demand a better certificate. You cannot afford to have a firearm that is not "uniquely" identified by the registration certificate.
THEY claim that they can "uniquely" identify ANY firearm. TEST them. And raise hell if they have been lying to us. If they have been lying, they deserve all the dirt that can be thrown at them--because they are RESPONSIBLE for registration as we know it, and for claiming that it can be made perfect.
Registering as Unknown:
It is recommended that each of the "identification" boxes (Make, Model, Serial Number, etc.) on the application form be filled with "UNKNOWN" or "UNK"--because you can go to jail for up to 5 years if you make an honest mistake, or if your idea of what SHOULD go into the little box is not the same as the CFR/FRAS idea of what should be in it. Even if Firearms Act sections 106 and 109 do NOT send you to prison, you may well have to fight an expensive court case over this--and, if you lose, you will have a criminal record of conviction of a firearms offense. The risks are too high--so enter "UNK."
But i saved alot of the files there. Please note that by reading this, you are automatically agreeing that i will not be held responsible for what you do with this info. If you disagree, please demonstrate that by not reading the article.
This was written several years ago, so might not be accurate today.
A Monkey-Wrencher's Guide to C-68
Furious George
Editorial Note: This how-to refers specifically to the Canadian gun control law. However, many of the suggestions offered herein would probably work in other gun-grabbing places, such as Australia and "Great" Britain. Unfortunately, it appears that the day is looming when it will be useful in the United States as well. Read it, know the laws in your area, then use what directly applies, and tweak the things that don't so that they will. Copy and distribute the manual to everyone you know--and trust!--who you think will use it. {Furious George has given explicit permission for this activity.} Print up some copies and leave them at your local shooting range, gun stores, and gun shows that come to your area.
As Furious said in his prologue:
What follows are some legal and not so legal methods of resisting Bill C-68, The Firearms Act. The legal ones come from a variety of sources including major pro-firearms organizations, magazines and the Internet. Nobody was consulted for permission to use their ideas, and they will probably be angry to find them included here. Maybe not.
The tactics described herein are best described as "civil disobedience", "non-cooperation", and "passive resistance": Using the system against itself, working to rule, and never volunteering to help.
The more people who use these tactics, the sooner the new system will be exposed as the costly fraud it is. If you are one of the sheepish, mewling, crybabies who think that radical action/speaking out makes firearms owners "look bad", and that if we would only comply with the governments silly laws just "one more time" they will "leave us alone", [stop reading] immediately. It is not for you. Go back to dreamland.
WARNING: Implementing the tactics in this manual (even the legal ones) may draw unpleasant reprisals against you. Being morally and factually right is not the same as being harassment-proof. The authorities may want to "make an example" of you to scare others into quietly complying. Therefore, make sure you are squeaky clean: plug those last few high cap mags to their legal capacity. Make sure your storage is tight. If you have a lot of ammo at your home, consider storing it off site, thus thwarting any "arsenal" pictures on the front page of the paper should the police get an "anonymous" tip and decide to inspect/raid you. Take the Tracy Lords videotape out of your golf bag and store it at your brother's place. The same goes for any other contraband you may have, like firecrackers, dope, or a smoke alarm with dead batteries. The new Firearms Act allows them to seize your computer and discs. If you have things in them you don't want them to see, encrypt them with PGP or one of the other encryption programs available for free off the Internet. Deleted files can be recovered unless you learn and use techniques to avoid this. Learn today! Similarly, the feds keep changing the law--some of these tactics may become null and void without notice. Legal stuff: This manual is accurate at the time it was published! Don't even think about suing the author or the person who gave this manual to you if you get in trouble. Use at your own risk!
IF YOU GET BUSTED OR HARASSED: Never admit to anything. You have a right to remain silent so use it. Be polite and calm.
DO NOT EVEN DREAM OF TRYING THESE TACTICS IF: You think O.J. was innocent. You think the Spice Girls are talented. You think Michael Jackson is not a . You don't think the government will try to ban ALL guns.
No monkeys were harmed during the production of this manual.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GLOSSARY
CFC - The Canadian Firearms Center. Located in Miramachi, NB it is the agency tasked with administering the Firearms Act.
Civil Disobedience/non cooperation/passive resistance - Resistance to government measures by non violent means.
FRAS - Firearms Registration Administration System. The "old" firearms registry maintained by the RCMP. Believed to have a 40% error rate. It is no longer useable in court.
FRT - Firearms Reference Table. A computer program used by a verifier to identify a firearm by entering in certain descriptors of the firearm in question. Highly susceptible to error and misidentification. Will quickly become known as FaRT.
FPC - Firearms Possession Certificate. Replaces the old FAC. Has different classes for different types of firearms.
Unique - One and only specimen of a kind. Having no like or equal. (In order for the registration system to work without error, each and every firearm in Canada must be uniquely identified. This is virtually impossible, even more so if people register their firearms as unknown ( mentioned elsewhere).
Verification - Confirmation that a firearm has been accurately described. Or, having a firearm described by a verifier on an "Application to Register".
Verifier - A poorly trained and equipped volunteer tasked with the impossible job of ensuring only quality information is entered into the firearms registry. Uses the FaRT disk to describe fireams. Originally, the government thought they would get gun collectors and shooters to do this job, but because of the dangers mentioned elsewhere nobody has volunteered. Only an idiot or an anti-gunner would be a verifier.
VERIFICATION: What is it and why is it so dangerous?
When registering your firearms, the application form asks you a bunch of questions like make, model, serial number, barrel length, caliber, magazine capacity etc. At the bottom of the form is a place where they want you to sign. As soon as you, or someone else, signs the new "Application to Register", you/they have "verified the information on this application to be true." They could really screw you if you make an honest mistake, or put what you think is the right info. Read on...
Any information that appears on an "Application to Register" over your signature is information that you are responsible for, so it is strongly recommended that you fill in each and every "identifying" box with the word "unknown"--and that you insist on leaving it that way. The information the government wants to put in those boxes must then be supplied by the government's own "verifier" on a separate sheet of paper over HIS signature, so that YOU will not be responsible if HE makes an error.
WARNING: Any person who acts as an "Approved Verifier" OR a "Business Verifier" is at risk. It does not matter WHAT you put down on an "Application to Register"--it can be shown to be "false or misleading" by a prosecutor.
EXAMPLE: One "verifier" calls a shotgun "Make: Browning" and "Model: Auto-5." Another calls it "Make: Fabrique Nationale" and "Model: Automatic." Obviously, at least ONE of those is "false or misleading"--but WHICH? There are NO SET STANDARDS for entries to the Application to Register form "identifying" boxes--so ANY entry can be RULED to be "false or misleading."
Even if you consider yourself to be a firearms expert, the only safe way to fill out an Application to Register is to put "UNK" or "UNKNOWN" into every box.
More foul snares in which you could get strangled by trying to be honest
(1) You fill in the "Serial Number" box with the number that is plainly stamped on the bottom of the trigger guard of an Iver Johnson revolver. WRONG. The trigger guard is NOT the "frame or receiver." It is easily removed and replaced. The correct place to look for an Iver Johnson Serial Number is UNDER THE LEFT GRIP. Once inside, there may be a letter, stamped at an angle to the number and at a distance from it. That letter is PART of the Serial number--and it is NOT on the trigger guard.
(2) You fill in the "Make" box with "Savage" while applying to register a lever action Savage rifle. Unfortunately, it was made in Spain--and not by "Savage." Similarly, the "frame or receiver" of many rifles marked with the names of British companies were actually made in other countries. Some "Marlin" rifles were made by Sako in Finland. "Brownings" (or are they Fabrique National?) were made in Belgium AND Japan.
(3) You fill in the "Serial Number" box while applying to register a bolt action sporter marked Husqvarna. You do not notice that the Serial Number is stamped into the BARREL--which is an uncontrolled spare part, and therefore cannot identify the "frame or receiver" which IS, in LAW, the "firearm."
4) You fill in the "Caliber" box as .308. Unbeknownst to you, their computer will only recognize 7.62mm as a description of that particular cartridge. Or 7.62x51. Or .308Win. Will they consider your attempt at being honest as a legitimate mistake? Maybe. Twelve months of waiting for a week-long court case and $2000 in legal fees will tell...
ALL "verifiers" (and YOU) are placed at risk by the language of C-68's Firearms Act section 106:
"106. (1) Every person commits an offence WHO...KNOWINGLY MAKES A STATEMENT orally or in writing that is false or misleading..." and is "for the purpose of procuring a licence, REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE or authorization for that person OR ANY OTHER PERSON."
That language is a trap for any "verifier" OR other person attempting to register a firearm. By the rules of English, the word "knowingly" ONLY applies to the words, "makes a statement." The word "knowingly" does NOT apply to the following words, "that is false or misleading." Therefore, any honest error on an Application to Register--even any VERBAL comment made during the process of applying for a registration--is CRIMINALIZED.
That is emphasized by section 106(3):
"106. (3) In this section, 'statement' means an assertion of fact, OPINION, BELIEF or knowledge, WHETHER MATERIAL OR NOT AND WHETHER ADMISSIBLE OR NOT.
Firearms Act section 109:
"109. (1) Every person who commits an offence under section 106...(a) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to IMPRISONMENT FOR A TERM NOT EXCEEDING TWO YEARS; or (b) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction."
A summary conviction offence carries a maximum penalty of up to SIX MONTHS IMPRISONMENT and a fine of up to $2000.
Either way, and even if the "actual" penalty is a small fine, you get a CRIMINAL RECORD as a FIREARMS OFFENDER--which will result in your entry to other countries, INCLUDING THE U.S., being DENIED if they ask about your criminal record. In Canada, it will void any chance of your being BONDED--and few companies want to hire anyone with a CRIMINAL RECORD. Every polite effort made to have the deadly wording of 106(1) CHANGED has been flatly rejected by the government...
REGISTRATION
At the time of this writing, you have until Jan 1, 2003 to register firearms you currently own. Any new firearms you acquire after the new law comes into effect in October '98 will have to be registered as you get them. Firearms already registered under the old FRAS system (pistols) will have to be re registered by Jan 1, 2001.
CAUTION: The above dates are not carved in stone--the Gov't could change them at any time! Be ready! Also--BE SURE TO HAVE AN FAC OR A NEW FIREARMS LICENCE BY JAN 1, 2001. You will have to be a licenced owner to register late in 2003.
People are talking about gathering the registration postcards and destroying them en masse. (They should first have some ready in case the Gov't changes the dates!) This would crush the amount budgeted to implement the registration. It would also anger a lot of the ass-kissers who will want to be the first in line to register their guns. Gun owners can then bitch about not being able to comply with the law! "But it was supposed to be sooo easy to do!"
What follows are some techniques to implement against the registration.
Dancing On The Head Of A Pin:
"Dancing on the head of a pin" is an NFA technical term meaning "using the legislation creatively in ways the Firearms Control Bureaucracy has apparently not expected."
Some people have been advocating that no one should register ANY firearm when C-68 comes into force. While that does set up an impossible situation, Ottawa really does not care about it. They regard the inevitable finding of unregistered guns--while searching for other items, as a result of hostile neighbors, etc.--as prosecutions that WILL happen, and that WILL pressure people to "dump" their firearms as being too risky to keep.
It is more fun to "dance on the head of a pin." The registration system is deeply flawed. It is only useful if it can identify each and every firearm in Canada UNIQUELY. The word "unique" is a powerful word. It is an absolute, like "dead" or "pregnant." You cannot legitimately say "almost unique" any more than you can say "almost pregnant." It is or it isn't, and there are no modifiers that can be used legitimately.
Ottawa tries to identify firearms uniquely by describing seven characteristics of the firearm that it shares with a group of other firearms, then using the serial number as the 8th characteristic--the one that identifies it "uniquely." That is their theory, and it is garbage.
Some of the 7 characteristics are variables. Either there are several possible entries [e.g., COLT, COLT (ITHACA), ITHACA, ITHACA (COLT) for an Ithaca-made Colt .45 service pistol], or the firearm itself can change after leaving the factory [Colt .45 re-barreled to .38 Super, barrel length changed, magazine capacity changed...].
Serial numbers do NOT "uniquely" identify a firearm within a particular group. Many manufacturers routinely duplicate serial numbers [Iver Johnson made 9,000,000 revolvers using a 5-digit serial number system; Colt .38 Super M1911 pistols use serial numbers which duplicate military Colt serial numbers and .38 Supers can be re-barreled to .45, etc.].
Go to your nearest large gun store, and start looking. Look at that cut-down Mauser 98 sporter. What "MAKE" is it? Probably NOT "Mauser."
Mauser was the DESIGNER, but it may have been MADE in any one of many factories in many countries--all of them duplicating each other's serial numbers. The current caliber and barrel length may not be those that it had when it left the factory--and they may be changed AGAIN by the next owner. Many 98 Mausers are converted, even to 2-shot 12-gauge shotguns!
So: Present such a puzzle to the authorities for registration. YOU cannot give them ANY advice on what it is, or how it should be registered. That is MUCH too risky. If they disagree with you, they can charge you with "making a statement" that turned out to be "false or misleading" in an attempt to get registration--and that is a crime.
NEVER tell them your "belief" or "opinion" in ANYTHING having to do with registration--or risk being charged. Read FAs 106(1) and (3) if you don't believe that; they do NOT cover "making a statement" that you "KNOW to be false or misleading"; they DO cover "making a statement" that you BELIEVE to be true, but which turns out to be "false or misleading"--in their opinion. NEVER tell them ANYTHING about ANY firearm! It's too risky!
THEY claim to be able to "uniquely" identify ANY firearm. That is interesting. The RCMP reference collection contains many firearms, and 19 per cent of them have no serial numbers. About 2 per cent are firearms that THEY cannot identify--even with their access to expensive reference books, computers, and other agencies.
Therefore, "dance on the head of a pin." TEST their claim that they can "uniquely" identify ANY firearm. Buy an odd-looking .22 single-shot rifle with no serial number, and register it. If YOU are not satisfied their registration certificate is "unique" and that it PERFECTLY identifies the firearm, REJECT it and demand a better certificate. You cannot afford to have a firearm that is not "uniquely" identified by the registration certificate.
THEY claim that they can "uniquely" identify ANY firearm. TEST them. And raise hell if they have been lying to us. If they have been lying, they deserve all the dirt that can be thrown at them--because they are RESPONSIBLE for registration as we know it, and for claiming that it can be made perfect.
Registering as Unknown:
It is recommended that each of the "identification" boxes (Make, Model, Serial Number, etc.) on the application form be filled with "UNKNOWN" or "UNK"--because you can go to jail for up to 5 years if you make an honest mistake, or if your idea of what SHOULD go into the little box is not the same as the CFR/FRAS idea of what should be in it. Even if Firearms Act sections 106 and 109 do NOT send you to prison, you may well have to fight an expensive court case over this--and, if you lose, you will have a criminal record of conviction of a firearms offense. The risks are too high--so enter "UNK."
