A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.
Updated, 3 October 2015. First reports are often wrong. That’s the first thing to keep in mind about the massacre at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. As of 2014 MDT, the New York Times reports ten persons are dead and seven are wounded. That can change.
The second thing to keep in mind is that it will take days, perhaps weeks, to learn why the now dead shooter, 20-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, conducted his rampage. As additional information is reported, there will be a temptation to fill in the blanks through argument and assumption — that’s the natural consequence of our species’ desire to provide closure and understanding — but it’s best to resolve ambiguities and uncertainty by waiting for more facts.
Updated. Lastly, we should remember that although Oregon is one of seven states that allow carrying concealed weapons on campus, police summoned to the college after the shooting started killed wounded the gunman, who fled, then shot himself and died in an ambulance. Concealed carry didn’t save a single life.