EvanL
11-28-2003, 12:37 PM
http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2003/11/28/fCanada265.raw.html
OWEN SOUND, Ont. (CP) - A former Canadian Forces sniper diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder may not have his guns back, Justice Julia Morneau ruled Thursday.
James Fischer, 40, of Petawawa, appealed the Chief Firearms Officer of Ontario's June 2002 decision to revoke the now-retired soldier's firearms possession and acquisition licence.
Morneau's written ruling noted Fischer's skills as a sniper "are a significant part of this consideration."
Morneau wrote "public safety could be at risk if Fischer continued to have firearms."
Fischer, a master sniper with a Forces-wide reputation for his shooting prowess, had his weapons seized after police were called to Fischer's Owen Sound home on Dec. 13, 2001.
Fischer suffered a flashback due to traumatic experiences during his first tour of duty as a peacekeeper in Bosnia in 1993.
His wife called 911 because her husband believed he was again on a mission in Bosnia. He mistook her for a stewardess, thought city police were Serbian soldiers and that a doctor at the hospital in Owen Sound was also a Serb, whom he threatened.
He was diagnosed with post-tramatic stress disorder, a psychological reaction in which sufferers can relive traumatic, often life-threatening, events.
OWEN SOUND, Ont. (CP) - A former Canadian Forces sniper diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder may not have his guns back, Justice Julia Morneau ruled Thursday.
James Fischer, 40, of Petawawa, appealed the Chief Firearms Officer of Ontario's June 2002 decision to revoke the now-retired soldier's firearms possession and acquisition licence.
Morneau's written ruling noted Fischer's skills as a sniper "are a significant part of this consideration."
Morneau wrote "public safety could be at risk if Fischer continued to have firearms."
Fischer, a master sniper with a Forces-wide reputation for his shooting prowess, had his weapons seized after police were called to Fischer's Owen Sound home on Dec. 13, 2001.
Fischer suffered a flashback due to traumatic experiences during his first tour of duty as a peacekeeper in Bosnia in 1993.
His wife called 911 because her husband believed he was again on a mission in Bosnia. He mistook her for a stewardess, thought city police were Serbian soldiers and that a doctor at the hospital in Owen Sound was also a Serb, whom he threatened.
He was diagnosed with post-tramatic stress disorder, a psychological reaction in which sufferers can relive traumatic, often life-threatening, events.