I’m reluctant to write this piece as we don’t know what happened yet. As the noted author, journalist and American Treasure Mark Twain didn’t say, “If you don’t read the papers, you’re uninformed. If you read the papers, you’re misinformed.”

And while he didn’t say that, the sentiment likely predated him by decades – maybe a century. The one thing you’re sure you don’t know is any fact related in a “news” story. Most of these are long on “story” and short on “news;” that is to say facts.

By the time I send this up, the brain trust will have changed the “facts,” sometimes due to real information getting out and other times to pad an agenda.

Like the nonsense spewed by the Washington Post – I won’t link to them. As they’re behind a paywall, I decline to support their bad habits and I don’t like spreading simple rumors and nonsense opinions. A piece appeared on their site that was echoed by “MSN,” or I would have been blissfully unaware of it; it was a story of the gun “that divides a nation” or some such idiocy.

Bet you can guess which gun they’re whining about now. It’s the whipping boy composed of steel, aluminum and polymer components that’s the locus of evil in the modern world. Its stunning power makes it a death ray, a position that would make veterans from those of the “Southeast Asia War Games, 1966-1974” era all the way to veterans of the Global War on Terror shake their heads.

But they’re not about reporting facts but supporting a narrative: Black Rifle Bad!

That takes the place of releasing hardcore violent felons from prison, hampering efforts at arrest and incarceration of violent offenders, hamstringing mental health efforts and generally removing all traces of civility from the social atmosphere.

The spreaders of this manure don’t care about those children. I was on a major social media outlet shortly after reports of the Nashville outrage came out. The vile, hateful and ignorant began their cries for federal, state and local infringements before the crime scene people could arrive to locate, document, and collect evidence.

As to the operational aspects, the school either left a “side door” open or didn’t; access to the sensitive areas of the building was made by the offender (described as a “teenage female,” but that’s agism and assuming gender – oh, wait. It really was assuming gender based on a more recent social media post). The offender was “strapped” (the news said) “with two assault rifles and a handgun.”

That’s a lot of gear. I wonder why there wasn’t more shooting as around four minutes elapsed before the situation was ended -- (it’s said the call came in at 1013 hours and the offender was neutralized by 1017 hours … subsequently being reported as being stopped at 1027 hours).

See what I mean about waiting for “new information?”

Aside from the poor “security through environmental design” (allowing more than a single-entry point into the structure) one source alleged that the school declined having an SRO. It’s not been reported whether or not any staff were armed.

The upside was that there was apparently no “shelter in place” nonsense. When the alert was sounded, teachers – it’s said – began moving the children out.

That’s the smart play.

So who was it and why?

I don’t care. Opinions were soaking the errornet and opinions aren’t facts. Even if I knew why this chowderhead did it – the story is that a good many of these morons try to one-up the previous ones due to seeing news reports, but I have to wonder if any of them are conscious of “news” – that doesn’t tell me how to stop it.

The world is an unfriendly place. That isn’t new. The death rate is 100% -- everything that’s born dies.

It’s that simple.

Assuming that life will be fragrant flowers, singing birds and low taxes is delusional. Assuming that the other side doesn’t want you helpless is about the same.

Assuming there’s not someone out there planning the next bit of insanity is just plain, dumb-blasted stupid.

Learn from this and from smart people out there. Look for trouble and avoid it. If you can find a way to keep your kids away from the feeding grounds called “gun free zones,” do that.

And pray for the families of the victims. The lunatics say it doesn’t help; unlike their plans, it doesn’t hurt.