Public Safety committee  Yes, if we use opinions, you can't defend an opinion. It needs to be factual and common sense just as described by Mr. Friedman.

Public Safety committee  No, I do not, because again appearance and opinion come into the factor, and it needs to be factual and evidence-based. Moreover, keep it simple so that everyone can clearly understand what it is. It makes everyone's jobs easier and simpler—everyone from the police to the manufacturers, to the owners, to the government, to the court system—rather than having these interpretations and opinions brought in.

Public Safety committee  That depends on many factors. It depends on what the firearm is, that individual's knowledge and the tools they have at their hand. As society changes and with the availability of technology through the Internet and simple Google searches, it makes some people become gunsmiths by Google, much as you hear of doctors by Google today.

Public Safety committee  Good morning, and thank you for the opportunity to speak this morning. My name is Matt Hipwell. I grew up in the firearms industry and lifestyle in rural Manitoba. As a youth, I was involved in various shooting sports. I was a member of Team Manitoba in the Canada Winter Games for the sport of biathlon.

Public Safety committee  It has me thinking of identifiers, markers, and how could you look at it, but I don't have an answer for you at this time.

Public Safety committee  Regarding the business, I'll put a different slant on it. As a police officer, if I went before a judge with 20-year-old information and an application for a search warrant, the judge would politely laugh at me and ask me to do my investigation and come back. I don't see how 20-year-old information is going to enhance—

Public Safety committee  That's the physical registers back in earlier days.

Public Safety committee  Another problem is the increased use by the RCMP of what is known as the R. v. Hasselwander case. This is where a judge ruled that, if a firearm could be readily and easily converted to discharge shots in rapid succession with a single pressure of the trigger in a relatively short period of time and with relative ease, it is in fact prohibited.

Public Safety committee  Good morning. I'm Matt Hipwell, and I've spent nearly the past 17 years as a front-line RCMP officer. When the RCMP specialized firearms support services classify a firearm, it is issued an FRT, a reference number. The FRT is not law. I've seen this statement from several members of the RCMP, including Murray Smith.

Public Safety committee  I have been advised by the RCMP that the only way I can legally challenge the FRT ruling is to put myself in the position where I face Criminal Code charges. It is not reasonable that to implement change I must face criminal charges. In my position as an owner of a firearm business that is an impossibility.