This twitter post showed Zehaf-Bibeau with what appears to be a Winchester lever action rifle. At first, it was unclear if this was the same firearm that he used to murder Cpl. Nathan Cirillo before entering Canada’s Parliament building and continue his shooting spree. But the BBC quickly came up with an identification of the firearm used – a Winchester lever action shotgun . . .
He said police were trying to piece together how Zehaf-Bibeau acquired a Winchester lever-action shotgun, as he was banned from owning firearms due to his criminal convictions.
Then the Ottawa Sun took a shot at the subject:
Police still don’t know how he got his hands on the Winchester 3030 pump-action rifle he used to gun down Cpl. Cirillo at the War Memorial.
The National Post finally got it right. From the Nationalpost.com:
At a Thursday press conference, RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson confirmed that Zehaf-Bibeau had carried out the shootings with a Winchester 30-30 lever action rifle, a quintessentially Canadian bush gun that is not normally the first choice of would-be terrorists.
Here is a clearer picture of the model of rifle used.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a source form the United States. From wyomingnews.com:
Police said he was armed with a lever-action Winchester rifle, an old-fashioned, relatively slow-firing weapon.
The 30-30 was considered a powerful and quick-firing rifle in its day. President Teddy Roosevelt was rather impressed with it.
He acquired an 1894 similar to all his other rifles in extras and embellishments and used it on an antelope hunt. His “little .30” as he called it, was able to knock down a good sized antelope at a distance of more than 180 yds. After witnessing the fantastic shot and the irrefutable and immediate results, his guide said that the gun was just “aces” in his book.
©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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