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Comment by dymk | Hacker News Reader

Even the smallest amount of friction to acquiring a device like this (e.g. you have to build your own and flash your own firmware) would prevent basically all the attacks we see on the news with a Flipper. "Script kiddies", by definition, are buying pre-made, turnkey devices and lack the ability to build their own.

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This is a really expensive device in Canada, and you do have to flash the firmware if you want access to the more harmful capabilities.

The people stealing cars are an international organized group that have managed to exploit holes in the federal government, the railroad companies, and the ports. The way they are stealing these cars is outside of the capabilities of a stock flipper, and requires custom hardware.

Banning the flipper is going to do precisely nothing to increase the friction on the problem they are trying to solve.

The problem they are trying to solve is the perception they aren't doing anything to stop organized car theft.

Banning the Flipper is a minimal effort way to minimize it as an election issue.

If people are stealing cars with a Flipper, banning it seems like more than a token gesture

The major ports (Montréal and Vancouver) are controlled by organized crime. But those people are scary (and/or well-connected). Much easier to go after hobbyists.

Sport shooters can insert a certain James Franco meme here.

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