By Dave Workman |Editor-in-Chief
Canadian authorities are continuing to search for evidence and a motive behind the worst mass killing spree in the country’s history, according to the New York Post, which left at least 18 dead including a female member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
When the 51-year-old Nova Scotia man launched his 12-hour rampage, according to various published reports, he was driving an apparently decommissioned RCMP cruiser and was wearing a facsimile of a Mountie uniform. So far undisclosed is the type of firearm he used to launch the attack, but it was reported that he took the gun and ammunition belonging to Constable Heidi Stevenson, a 23-year veteran of the famed Mounties. He allegedly shot her at close range, dragged her from her patrol car and “executed” her before climbing into her vehicle.
The gunman, identified as Gabriel Wortman, carried on his rampage over the course of several miles and hours, finally dying in a confrontation with genuine Canadian lawmen at a gas station.
The first of his victims reportedly was an ex-wife or girlfriend and her new boyfriend.
But gun rights activists in the United States are now point out that this murder spree occurred in a country with strict gun control laws. There appears little doubt that when the Canadian Parliament returns from the country’s COVID-19 shut down, at least some lawmakers will be introducing more gun restrictions.
The rampage apparently began in the small town of Portapique, about 90 minutes north of Halifax and Dartmouth in the upper east end of the province, where Wortman reportedly was a partner in some type of dental-related business.
So far, no motive for the shooting has been established, and at least some of the victims had no known relationship with the suspected killer.
All of these details have similarities with notorious mass shootings that have occurred in some communities around the U.S. in recent years, including the mass shooting in Las Vegas two years ago.
According to The Inquirer. Canadian gun laws were “overhauled” decades ago after the Ecole Polytechnique college shooting in Montreal in 1989. Fourteen people were murdered in that incident.
As noted by BizPacReview, Canadian anti-gunners have already launched new demands for more gun control restrictions.
The murdered constable was a 23-year veteran of the famed Mounties. She leaves a husband and two daughters.
Wortman also reportedly set several homes on fire in the Portapique area during his rampage, and authorities were concerned more victims might be discovered as investigators comb through the ashes.
Under the country’s gun laws, there are licensing requirements, some types of firearms are restricted including handguns, and some firearms are prohibited. Unrestricted firearms include traditional hunting rifles and shotguns. Canada does not have a Second Amendment to protect gun ownership.
