Patriot Brief
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Attack under investigation: A shooting occurred inside a Brown University classroom involving a 9mm pistol.
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Policy response posted: Sen. Peter Welch called for an assault weapons ban and expanded gun laws on social media days after the attack.
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Details unclear: At the time, authorities had not released information about how the firearm was obtained or other circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Before investigators even finished piecing together what happened at Brown University, the political talking points were already locked and loaded. Just two days after a classroom shooting involving a 9mm pistol, Sen. Peter Welch rushed to social media to demand an assault weapons ban, despite the fact that no assault weapon was involved and key details remain unknown. It is a now-familiar pattern. Tragedy strikes, facts lag behind, and gun control activists move straight to legislation that has little to do with the weapon used. For critics, it looks less like public safety and more like opportunism wrapped in a crisis.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Ban assault weapons.
Require background checks on all gun sales.
Mandate secure gun storage.We can save so many lives if Republicans work with us.
— Senator Peter Welch (@SenPeterWelch) December 15, 2025
As Breibart reports:
Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) pushed an “assault weapons” ban in an X post two days after an attacker with a 9mm pistol opened fire in a Brown University classroom.
Welch also pushed for “universal background checks” and gun storage laws, although nothing is known at this point regarding how the pistol used in the attack was acquired–the attacker has not been located or apprehended.
Gun control proponents and activists frequently push for more laws before the facts in a particular instance are known.
At the time, the suspect was still unidentified and critical details were missing, the rush to legislate was once again outpacing the evidence. For many Americans, the growing concern is not just violence, but how quickly tragedy is used to advance policies that do not match the facts on the ground.
Photo credit: Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty