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What separates a generic, inoffensive small-calibre rifle from a prohibited assault weapon? According to the RCMP, it’s the colour of the grip.

The Mossberg “Blaze” rifle is a semi-automatic, .22-calibre rifle, well suited to target practice, training new shooters or hunting very small game. The rifle, which first hit the market within the last year, was evaluated by the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Centre and deemed to qualify as “non-restricted” under Canadian law.

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You’d be forgiven for assuming that the rifles were fundamentally different in some way; that the Blaze-47 was somehow more deadly or more easily concealed than the standard Blaze. But it isn’t.

“Non-restricted” is one of three categories of firearms in Canada, and the least regulated. It is mostly made up of generic hunting rifles and shotguns. “Restricted” firearms, generally handguns and a few select kinds of rifle, require a special licence to purchase and possess, and involve much more stringent licensing provisions, background checks and safe-storage and transport conditions.

The third class is “prohibited,” which are effectively impossible for a citizen to obtain. These are firearms deemed particularly dangerous to the public, including snub-nosed (thus easily concealed) pistols and automatic firearms. Each category is defined, at least in principle, by clear, easily understood and easily quantified factors, such as ammunition calibre, length of barrel, overall length and operation (automatic, semi-automatic, pump-action and so on).