Who’s to blame? CBC discussion looks for answers to Dawson tragedy

Vivid memories, questions regarding Kimveer Gill’s motives and anger towards the government’s response on the gun registry topped the debate.

Host Anne Lagacé Dowson hoped it would be a therapeutic debate.

The physical reminders of the shooting are gone, but the reality of that day is only starting to sink in. Students, professors and even director Richard Fillion admitted they have sleepless nights, remembering the sights and sounds of that day.

"The dreams are very surreal and intense,� says student Ricky Lebel. “I wake up with cold sweats at 3 a.m.�

Student Zach Boucher says students in the atrium now tend to look over their shoulders, just to see if it’s safe. “If there is a loud noise, everyone is on their toes.� Some refuse to stay in the school for long, fearing the worst.

Many had not immediately understood the danger they had been in. Andreas Baroni was in the atrium during the shootings and says the “sounds of gunshots were like the sound of death.� However, it was when he came back to Dawson with his parents he understood his close encounter. “I showed them were I was in the atrium and my mom burst into tears. She had no idea how close I was.�

Through the fear and anxiety has come questions and the search for an answer to why Kimveer Gill got guns and why no one noticed his posts on vampirefreaks.com.

Student Dan Haber visited the website, trying to understand Gill. “It didn’t take too long to see he had problems. If you connect the dots, with what he wrote and the pictures, it was easy to see it coming.�

Kate MacDonald says it is not so easy to know whose ramblings are serious threats. “Gill was expressing anti-social ideas. There are thousands that do the same thing. The cliché was high. It’s hard to pick him out,� said MacDonald.

Dawson computer professor Georges Mac, says it is practically impossible to monitor every website and blog for violence. “There are 800 to 900 million users on the Internet and there are over 350 million webposts. The police only have a small budget.�

MacDonal argued the website was actually a good place for Gill to express himself, to have a sense of belonging. “People kept journals before, now they use blogs.�

Many cringed when Lagacé-Dowson played a clip from a previous CBC show where gun owner Raymond Compté, said that collecting motorcycles is no different than collecting guns or knifes. “Guns are articles used by humans. You have to train humans the right way.�

Teacher Brian Hellele was angry that Gill obtained military weaponry in the first place. “There is no argument for the possessions of such weapons.� Former police officer Jim Anderson agreed. “Hunters don’t use handguns,� he said. “Guns are made to kill.� The school has begun a letter writing campaign to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, asking for tighter gun control.

Graham Weaks, a counselor at Dawson, also noted “there is an increase in the heaviness and in the number of heavy cases of people seeking help. We have four counselors for 9,000 students. That’s not enough.�

He says students need to look out for each other and notice those who are withdrawn. Get them involved in school and activities, he adds. “Kimveer did not have enough friends to talk to.� Michael Smith said “this showed us how much a place like Dawson is important learning place, important for society.�

In the end, one student countered all by stating, “I am troubled that we are making a victim out of Kimveer Gill. We are blaming everyone but the person who pulled the trigger.�