Yes. The FN C1 was phased out in favour of the M16-variant C7 circa 1989, and these 20,000 (actually 28,000, as I was reminded today) are the last in the eastern half of Canada, not counting museum pieces. The others, I believe, are in a warehouse in Edmonton. My tasking over the next few months is to unpack them (many are in pristine condition, clearly never issued or used), verify serial numbers against a master list, remove certain parts (the asbestos/wood handguard, and possibly the plastic carrying handle, though it's still undecided) and repack for shipment to a local smelter for meltdown.
I'm not a weapons expert myself, but when I saw a thread about rifles, I couldn't resist being a little bit cheeky and mention the impending mass destruction of what I'll admit is a handsome (albeit heavy as a mother????er) weapon, knowing the anguish it would cause as I coldly chuckle at the insanity of it all.
Regrettably, I really couldn't "liberate" a rifle for myself or others, without risking serious jail time. Security is tight and this isn't the sort of thing one casually slips into a pocket. I've commented on what a waste the destruction is, and a co-worker pointed out that (he suspected) it was illegal to sell gas-powered semi-automatic rifles to the Canadian public. Frankly, I blame the beaurocracy for this almost criminal waste. Had the project been turned over to me, I'd have had those suckers on eBay in a heartbeat, though possibly only for shipment to the U.S. Handled properly, we could recoup a million bucks, easily.
Oh, well. Mine not to reason why.
