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A small British Columbia town is reeling after a brutal attack that left nine people dead, including the shooter, and many more wounded in and around Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on February 10, 2026. Authorities identified the suspect as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, and officials say the victims include schoolchildren and a teacher whose lives were stolen in an instant.
RCMP leaders have confirmed the suspect was born male and had publicly identified as female in recent years, and they say police had previously responded to mental-health calls at the family home where two more victims were found. Investigators report the attacker used a long gun and a modified handgun and died of a self-inflicted wound at the scene; the town is honoring grieving families while demanding answers.
Conservative commentators have not been silent about how the story has been framed, with a New York Post op-ed from Bethany Mandel arguing the media are “gaslighting” the public by soft-pedaling the suspect’s identity and potential cultural drivers. Right-leaning voices pushed that point on cable news and social platforms, insisting the public deserves frank discussion rather than protective euphemisms in the face of such horrors.
This is not about persecuting victims of gender dysphoria; it is about demanding honest reporting and real accountability. When elite outlets reflexively silence inconvenient facts to avoid discomfort, they fail the families who need clarity and the citizens who expect straightforward news from institutions they are supposed to trust.
Smart conservatives know the debate shouldn’t be reduced to a single label or a simple narrative: mental health red flags, return of previously seized firearms to a lawful owner, and online influences reported on the suspect’s accounts all deserve scrutiny from investigators and policymakers alike. RCMP say firearms had been seized from the family home in the past during welfare checks, a detail that raises hard questions about enforcement and the mechanics that allowed these weapons to be available during a crisis.
Now is the moment for practical conservatism: demand better school security, fund mental-health interventions that actually work, restore parental rights in education and stop letting ideology dictate whether facts are reported. Americans and Canadians alike should insist that authorities and the press focus on preventing the next tragedy rather than scoring cultural points.
We mourn the children, the teacher, and the relatives taken from their families, and we stand with survivors who will carry the scars of this day forever. In memory of the victims, let there be an unflinching national conversation about prevention, accountability, and the truth — nothing less will honor their lives.
