FICTION: There is no authority for SCUBA cylinders to have an annual visual inspection. This is just a standard of practice in the SCUBA industry
FACT: In CGA Pub P-5 Paragraph 6.1 the Compressed Gas Association requires all cylinders in SCUBA service to be visually inspected annually.
FICTION: The Code of Federal Regulations is not law.
FACT: While technically true, 44 USC 1507 (public law) requires that the Federal Register be “judicially noticed”, that is, recognized by the courts as law. All aspects of the CFR have been first printed in the Federal Register and the CFR is prima facie evidence of the text of the original documents as published in the Federal Register.
In short, while the CFR may technically be regulation and not law, you will never win that argument in court.