Well, it was this particular case that went to the Supreme Court that precipitated my private member's bill. Prior to the appellate court and the Supreme Court reversing the decision that the trial court judge made, to my knowledge this issue never came up. There was the odd case prior, when one of these devices that looks like a real firearm was used in the commission of a crime. That was a crime then and it remains a crime now.
On May 12th, 2015. See this statement in context.