Who is Tilson from The Rifle and what is their importance?

A man identified only as Tilson fishes the Rifle out of the river after Harv Kline threw it off a bridge in disgust. Tilson is a gun enthusiast, and he cleans the gun up and puts it in a case. By the end, Tilson is considering loading the Rifle to see how it fires, and it is clear the Rifle may continue to wreak havoc.