I survived a mass shooting because a woman I was dating didn’t want to leave my side

This happened in the summer of 2007 at the the Burnside shooting range in Burnside, Victoria, Australia. I was in my mid-twenties and single, my friend was also in the same boat and was in a new relationship. He invited me along for a day so the two of us guys could get to know the two gals. I had been on a couple of dates with mine at the time, but not much more.<br><br>We met on a Saturday morning and I took my gal to the gun club. After the safety briefing, we went to the 50m range to get the girls settled in. After a few shooters passed through we all decided to take a break and grab some lunch. We went to the 50m club house to eat and after finishing, we decided we were all done with shooting. After the safety briefing, my girlfriend decided she wanted to stay by my side, she didn’t want to leave my side. I thought perhaps she was just happy to spend time with me, but she confessed later that she had the feeling that something bad was about to happen. So we walked to the car to load up the gear and leave. <br><br>We got in the car and started the engine, then my friend said “owww shit! That’s loud.” A man had walked into the 50m club house we were just in and started shooting with a 308 bolt action rifle. He walked around the hall, shooting people at random. He was about 30 meters from were we just were. <br><br>The shooter, who I will refer to as ‘Judith’ fired 18 rounds from memory, shooting 8 people and killing 6. My friend was in a state of shock and was just going along with what I was saying. My girlfriend just said “I told you not to leave me!” I didn’t know what to do, I just knew that we needed to get away from the shooter so I drove out to the car park and we parked on the other side of the ranch. We were not the only people who had escaped the initial shooting; many others were there and were sobbing. Then a few more left the shooting club house, bloody and screaming. It was chaos.<br><br>After the shooter finished emptying his magazine, he reloaded and walked to a nearby bunker. From the bunker, he was able to shoot at the people who were fleeing the shooting. We were all near the car, so we all got in the car and got low. That’s right, my friend and I were too stupid to not leave the car, even though there were people out in the open getting shot. We literally sat in the car and watched people getting shot at. One man was just running and his head just exploded. Then a woman was walking and her leg just exploded. <br><br>Judith was in no hurry, he was just sitting in the bunker, shooting with ease. He was probably 70 meters from us, so it wasn’t as loud as when we were near him. <br><br>We decided to get the fuck out of there and drove to the local inn. We got on the phone and called triple 0 and reported the incident, the police were already notified. After the police arrived, they shot Judith. We went back to the shooting range the following week and saw where he died, he was face down in a spot of blood on the ground.<br><br>It was a very sad day. the shooter was a man named Terry Hill. The police investigation found he was a registered NSW firearms dealer and the shotgun and pistols were registered in his name. In NSW, during this time, it was legal to carry registered firearms in a vehicle without a permit. Terry was able to drive to the gun club in Victoria with his firearms and commit the shooting.<br><br>The following week, I read an article on the news with someone saying that “the law was so loose that a NSW firearms dealer could drive to Victoria with firearms and commit a mass shooting”. This was of course referring to the shooting we were at. This made me so angry. the reporter was saying that the law was so loose that a shooter could drive across the state to commit a mass shooting. This was not the case. the shooter could of walked into any public establishment in NSW and committed the same shooting he did in Victoria. It is not the law that is at fault, it is just a random person who has something go wrong in their brain and has the capacity to get a firearm. <br><br>I was asked to give a statement to the police, but I have no idea if I ever did. I always felt bad that I didn’t get to know any of the people who died. the police never released any information on the victims. <br><br>We never spoke about that day ever again. It was a terrible day and I never wanted to reflect on it. Even now, the thought of it sends shivers down my spine. But I can never forget that day, ever. something about it just stuck with me.