Brown University was plunged into terror Saturday as an active shooter opened fire on campus, leaving the community shaken and students hunkered down while the suspect remained at-large. Eyewitness accounts and on-the-ground reporting show students sheltering in libraries and classrooms as police scrambled to secure the scene and locate the gunman.
Authorities confirm this was no isolated scare: at least two people were killed and multiple others wounded in the attack inside the Barus and Holley engineering building, which took place during final exams. Law enforcement says the suspect — described as a man dressed in black — was seen leaving on foot and remains wanted as officers and the FBI canvass the area.
Students like Robert James described the surreal minutes that turned into hours, the terror of lockdown and the helpless feeling of being “in limbo” while a killer walked free nearby. Those firsthand accounts underline a simple truth conservatives have been saying for years: when seconds count, soft policies and open-door campus ideals fail, and students pay the price.
Local law enforcement mobilized massively — hundreds of officers were reported on the ground and federal resources were called in — but no one should be comforted by the spectacle of a late, large response after lives have already been lost. This is a policy failure that begins with university administrators who prioritize optics and ideological posturing over hard security measures and common-sense protections for students and faculty.
We should stop pretending unlocked doors and open-campus mantras are innocuous traditions; officials admitted doors were left unsecured because of exams, a preventable vulnerability exploited by a violent criminal. It’s past time to demand accountability from elite institutions that lecture the country about safety and decency while leaving their own communities exposed to real-world danger.
Tonight, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, and our gratitude goes to the brave officers risking everything to bring this suspect to justice. Hardworking Americans should demand real reform: stronger campus security, support for law enforcement, and leadership that puts students’ lives ahead of political virtue signals.
