That definition, I believe, was designed to affect firearms in the future. It's the forward-looking element in the proposed amendments.
The criteria in that definition are all concrete criteria, so it can be very readily determined whether a firearm is a rifle or a shotgun. It can be easily determined whether it has semi-automatic action or not. It can be easily determined whether it has a detachable magazine or not, and it can be easily determined what the capacity of that magazine is, whether it's five cartridges, four, three, two or whatever.
All the criteria in that provision are relatively easy to establish. Whether they prohibit the correct firearms is dependent on the goal of either Parliament or the Governor in Council, as the case may be. They are the ones that decide what should be prohibited or what should not be prohibited, and the terms of the definitions are determined accordingly. Officials can provide advice, but ultimately it's the government's decision as to what will be prohibited.