Not Much Known About Washington Navy Yard Shootings, But Guns Definitely Not To Blame

We are at the "Oh Jesus Not Again" phase of the awful news from Washington right now, and if you want accurate, up-to-the-minute reporting, we would suggest that you read an actual news website (we're mostly going from the Washington Post liveblog). But here is what we seem to know so far, subject to the usual "things are still being confirmed and we should expect further corrections" disclaimer:

1. 12 people are dead, including the shooter, who has been identified as Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old man from Fort Worth, Texas. He was a civilian employee of the Navy, and may have used a stolen ID to gain access to the base.

1. Two police sources said that Alexis was armed with a handgun and an assault rifle; one said he had a shotgun as well.

1. There might be a second shooter, a black male in camouflage carrying a long rifle; DC Police said that a "white male" who was being sought is no longer a suspect. Get ready for "truthers" to insist that the ordinary confusion of a major news event is proof that this was an inside job, because that is inevitable, and we hate humanity.

1. The incident already has a definite hero, Omar Grant, a civilian employee at the base, who led a blind co-worker to safety. We have somewhat better feelings about humanity now.

1. The Senate is on temporary lockdown; this appears to be more out of an excess of caution than due to any sightings of a shooter, probably.

1.  Reddit has banned a section that was set up to crowdsource possible innocent people that could be blamed as being the second through 43rd gunmen. Way to get it right for a change, Reddit.

So far, we're still trying to sort out facts from rumors; what is certain so far is that Americans' access to powerful firearms is a sacred right under the Constitution, and no body count in a single shooting will ever be high enough to change that immutable fact.

[ WaPo / LAT / Yahoo / Dallas Morning News ]