SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Deputy mayor Linda Bussey is expressing dismay after seeing soldiers walking around the Long John Jamboree this past weekend with what appeared to be military assault rifles.
Soldiers wearing winter camouflage and armed with what many thought were real firearms roamed the Long John Jamboree over the weekend. The weapons were actually rubber replicas used for a display by the Yellowknife Army Reserve Company. - photo courtesy of Tish Cohen |
As it turns out, the very real looking rifles were actually rubber replicas used for training and displays. The soldiers - reservists with the Yellowknife Army Reserve Company - were observed several times during the jamboree brandishing them around the festival site.
Bussey said she welcomed the military's presence at the event but said the young men carrying the training rifles should have been coached better.
"I don't know what you would be trying to demonstrate by holding a gun," she said.
"I don't know what the intent of their demonstration was but you don't want to bring out the attack side of it. Walking around with their guns around the site and playing with them on the site was not appropriate."
She said she thinks it would have been more acceptable if the weapons had remained in the military's area where they had erected tents and built an obstacle course.
Long John Jamboree president Janet Pacey said organizers may rethink allowing soldiers to roam the event site with the fake firearms next year. Pacey said no red flags were raised when the military told them a few weeks back of the plan to have soldiers at the Jamboree armed with realistic-looking rubber rifles.
"I find it unfortunate that someone wouldn't walk up to them and ask about it," she said.
"I'm concerned that people came away with that impression. Maybe it does involve a rethink for next year.
"They were part of our event. I did not hear any complaints, nor was I told about any. I can see maybe how it would look but they were there as the Canadian military and showing exactly how it is that they train and they wanted to get the public involved. We were happy to have them there."
The Yellowknife Army Reserve's Maj. Conrad Schubert stated in an e-mail the reservists had a number of interactive displays and demonstrations for the public at the jamboree.
The equipment displayed included both non-functional rubber training rifles and some of the actual weapons used by the members of the company, he stated, adding the members carrying rifles were carrying only rubber ones.
He went on to explain there was a great deal of public interest in the displays and questions about the reserves and how to join them.
One woman who forwarded photographs to Yellowknifer said she took the pictures because she had never seen soldiers in white camouflage before.
Tish Cohen, a Toronto author, was invited to the jamboree to read from one of her books and was in the North for the first time.
"They also had guns and fingers on the trigger. I don't know if they were loaded but it was surprising to see them there," she said. "I didn't even know there was such a thing as a rubber gun but I just assumed they weren't loaded."
Nonetheless, Cohen said she did not think it was inappropriate for the soldiers to be there with what appeared to be weapons.
"I didn't find it offensive, I thought it was just another interesting thing to see at the jamboree," said Cohen.
"They had smiles on their faces. They didn't come off as threatening to me."
