The solution to mass shootings, including those in schools, is resistance. That’s the opinion of longtime firearms user Dennis Robinson in response to the Parkland school shooting.
He points to instances where the crowd stood up to their attackers and likely reduced the overall casualty and injury count, such as Flight 93, and the Long Island train incident.
(Many passengers on Flight 93 attempted to stop four Al-Qaeda hijackers. The plane crashed in a field, killing all 44 on board but did not hit its intended target, the Capital Building. In Long Island in 1999, a man killed six people and hurt 19 others with a pistol before three passengers stopped him.)
Robinson sits on the board of the Langley Rod and Gun Club, and heads up the Thunderbird Fast Draw Club based here.
He said he’s watched these incidents over the years, having voiced his opinions in letters to the editor and elsewhere.
He said schools should have a group of people ready to rush a shooter.
“Yes, several will get a hurried bullet or two in them, but the shooter cannot shoot all of them if there are enough rushing him/her from all sides,” he said.
This would give students a better chance to escape.
Robinson the shooters in these mass casualty incidents often have a great deal of time unchallenged to “do their dirty work.”
He added that the best protection is armed resistance in his opinion.
So why is Canada different when it comes to mass shootings?
“When it comes to hunting, I’d say we have a very similar culture. As far as using guns for self-defense – the Americans have, fairly recently felt the need. We haven’t, yet,” Robinson said.
People may be familiar with the club which hosts the world fast draw championships at the Aldergrove Fair each summer.
He and other Thunderbird members often travel to the U.S. to compete in wild west style shooting contests so they have to be familiar with the laws and regulations in both countries.
“Americans nowadays can carry their guns just about anywhere, but World FD Association rules will not allow them – nor us – to bring live ammo to Fast Draw contests,” Robinson explained.
Thunderbird members use six-shooters.
He said some of the Thunderbird members own other kinds of guns and do hunt.
“A few of our members also do competitive target shooting with live ammo, such as trap, skeet, target rifle, pistol,” he explained. “I used to do this myself. Plus some also still shoot target shooting, with live ammo, with handguns, shotguns, and rifles.”
Some members are also collectors or have hunting weapons but he emphasized that there are strict rules about what weapons they can use.
“There are also handgun collectors among us – but you cannot hunt game with a handgun in Canada,” Robinson added.
GUNS in SCHOOLS – a Langley Advance special edition published March 15, 2018
• Meet the RCMP Youth Unit and learn about the work in schools
• A timeline of school violence in Canada, resulting in serious injury or death
