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.