When did Canada ban firearm suppressors/silencers/sound moderators?

[u/Noah_S_Schwartz]

Hi all. I am a researcher who does work on Firearms Policy. I am working on a policy paper to advocate for legalizing suppressors (as is the case in New Zealand, the UK, and most of Canada's peer countries in Europe).

I'm trying to figure out exactly when Canada banned firearm suppressors, and it's proving more difficult than I thought.

Most commentary or news sources trace the prohibition to the "early 1900s" but don't reference any laws, acts, or statutes - or even a specific year. I have checked the 1919 and 1927 editions of the criminal code, and can find no reference to a ban. It's not until the 1953 edition that Section 84 lays out a clear prohibition.

I've also searched through newspaper databases from that period (Globe, Citizen & Gazette), and the Parliamentary Hansard.

It's clear I'm missing a piece of the puzzle, but I can't seem to find it. Thus, I turn to the great collective wisdom of Reddit.

Any information or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[u/IGnuGnat]

We're one of the few countries ignorant enough to outlaw literal SAFETY EQUIPMENT. This actually perfectly illustrates our politicians position on firearms laws: people who are almost entirely uneducated and ignorant are pandering to the unwashed masses, and making laws to enforce their ignorance upon the rest of us.

This country is going from mediocre to the bottom of the barrel very, very quickly.

Body armour is another example of something with legitimate use cases that is illegal in some provinces