# Shooting in Nova Scotia **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 19, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146 "2020-04-19T22:37:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/1 "2020-04-19T22:37:33Z")
Holy shit. Impersonating an RCMP officer and killing 14 people. A denturist. Horrible news. Sleepy Dartmouth Nova Scotia. Why? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/2 "2020-04-19T22:58:30Z")
It was only mentioned in passing on CBS News, mainly to say that an officer had died. šŸ˜• Under other circumstances, weā€™d have wall-to-wall coverage, which is what these lunatics want. (Thereā€™s another thread about this; can they be whooshed?) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/3 "2020-04-19T23:26:58Z")
[Wow, thatā€™s some crazy stuff](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/rcmp-weapon-lockdown-portapique-1.5537598). ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/4 "2020-04-19T23:40:32Z")
I always wonder what sets somebody off like that? And that police car shows some serious forethought. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/5 "2020-04-20T01:06:42Z")
#1 story on the AP at the moment: [13 killed in Canada shooting rampage, deadliest in 30 years](https://apnews.com/7c9a33ae52420e0ddbfb5275898a7e79) > [@](#): > > A man disguised as a police officer went on a shooting rampage in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Sunday, killing 13 people, in the deadliest such attack in the country in 30 years. Officials said the suspected shooter was also dead. > > A police officer was among those killed. Several bodies were found inside and outside one home in the small, rural town of Portapique, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Halifax ā€” what police called the first scene. Bodies were also found at other locations. > > Overnight, police began advising residents of the town ā€” already on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic ā€” to lock their doors and stay in their basements. Several homes in the area were set on fire as well. > > Police identified the man believed to be the shooter as Gabriel Wortman, 51, who was thought to live part-time in Portapique. Authorities said he wore a police uniform at one point and made his car look like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruiser. Authorities believe he may have targeted his first victims but then began attacking randomly. > > Police first announced that they had arrested Wortman at a gas station in Enfield, outside Halifax, but later said he had died. It was not clear how, and they did not explain further. > [@](#): > > RCMP spokesman Daniel Brien confirmed that 13 people had been killed in addition to the suspect. The dead officer was identified as Constable Heidi Stevenson, a mother of two and a 23-year veteran of the force. Another officer was also injured. > > Brien said he could not rule out that the death toll could still rise. Already, it is one of the worst shootings in Canadian history. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/6 "2020-04-20T01:37:37Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I always wonder what sets somebody off like that? And that police car shows some serious forethought. It doesnā€™t have to be anything. Irrational acts are, by definition, irrational. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/7 "2020-04-20T02:15:41Z")
This sounds even worse than the original reports. Telling residents to hide in their BASEMENTS, and some of them even had their homes set on fire? I have no words. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/8 "2020-04-20T02:17:13Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I always wonder what sets somebody off like that? And that police car shows some serious forethought. > [@Monty](#): > > It doesnā€™t have to be anything. Irrational acts are, by definition, irrational. Just guessing and without evidence maybe the lockdown pushed him over the edge. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/9 "2020-04-20T02:22:06Z")
16 now confirmed dead. ā˜¹ This story also said that everything happened over a span of 12 hours. I just canā€™t imagine the terror the residents must have felt. > **[16 dead, including police officer, in deadliest shooting in Canadian history](https://abcnews.go.com/International/multiple-victims-canada-shooting-suspect-dressed-police-officer/story?id=70232582)** > > Sixteen people, including a police officer, are dead following a shooting rampage in Nova Scotia that police say is the worst in Canadian history. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/10 "2020-04-20T02:37:12Z")
Someone on another website who said they have a summer cabin in this town says the death toll is now 17, and they havenā€™t heard from some friends who live there. Theyā€™re hoping that the people didnā€™t know the town was given an all-clear. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/11 "2020-04-20T17:20:17Z")
[The story has been updated this morning and now says ā€œat least 18 deadā€.](https://apnews.com/52e7e00fdf738a653a57801e4d5b2a23) > [@](#): > > Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the gunman killed at least 18 people during the 12-hour rampage over a large swath of northern Nova Scotia. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/12 "2020-04-20T20:53:26Z")
> **[UPDATE: Trudeau promises swift action on gun control following Nova Scotia...](https://www.saltwire.com/halifax/news/canada/trudeau-promises-swift-action-on-gun-control-in-light-of-nova-scotia-shooting-439870/)** > > Ban of military-style assault rifles will be tabled when Parliament returns More gun control, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/13 "2020-04-20T21:02:06Z")
More info needed: what gun(s) did the shooter use? Did he have any of them legally, or did he 100% break the already existing laws to obtain them? Would any of the proposed measures have prevented this? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/14 "2020-04-20T21:23:07Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > More info needed: what gun(s) did the shooter use? Did he have any of them legally, or did he 100% break the already existing laws to obtain them? Would any of the proposed measures have prevented this? They have not released that info. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/15 "2020-04-20T22:16:29Z")
The PM mentioned they were about to table legislation covering assault weapons, before the lockdown. And that they will continue to pursue it once the house sits again. Could be a coincidence. He didnā€™t say it _was_ an assault rifle. And they _did_ already have legislation ready. Shrug. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/16 "2020-04-20T22:28:46Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > The PM mentioned they were about to table legislation covering assault weapons, before the lockdown. And that they will continue to pursue it once the house sits again. > > Could be a coincidence. He didnā€™t say it _was_ an assault rifle. And they _did_ already have legislation ready. Shrug. For Americans who arenā€™t aware, ā€œto tableā€ legislation means the exact opposite in Canada as it does in the US. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/17 "2020-04-20T23:07:51Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > The PM mentioned they were about to table legislation covering assault weapons, before the lockdown. And that they will continue to pursue it once the house sits again. > ā€¦ From my reading of the laws, all such weapons are already banned. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/18 "2020-04-21T00:13:11Z")
They could be considering a change to what qualifies as an assault weapon, maybe? Just a guess! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/19 "2020-04-21T02:58:43Z")
I have been to NS several times and worked with people from there for several years in the past and have only best memories of both place and persons. This news pained me greatly. Meanwhile Trudeau has also asked that the assailantā€™s name not be given media publicity. Will be interesting to see how that turns out. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146/20 "2020-04-21T03:09:58Z")
Nova Scotia is a beautiful place. People are very nice, generally. The shooter was a ā€œpolice enthusiastā€ known for collecting guns and memorabilia and modifying cars to make them look forceful. I hope Canada goes full New Zealand and bans everything in excess of what is needed for a challenging hunt. 19 dead. Biggest shooting in Canuck history. Not likely the last. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-in-nova-scotia/852146.md?page=2)