Oregon mass-shooter Chris Mercer is the bi-racial son of White father Ian Mercer and Black mother Laurel Harper. Many were surprised to learn his mother is a gun collector. According to various news agencies such as the New York Daily News and The Guardian, Laurel Harper had an arsenal of weapons in her home and is pro-gun. She even posted on Facebook to one person, “You can’t be that naive, can you? It’s ridiculously easy to understand the apprehension associated with open carry. I moved from So. Calif. to Oregon, from Southern Crime-a-mania to open carry. An open carry law won’t work everywhere . . . And when the mood strikes, and as long as we’re tossing around brand names, I sling an AR, Tek-9 or AK over my shoulder, or holster a Glock 21 (not 22), or one of my other handguns, like the Sig Sauer P226, and walk out the door. I find the shotguns are a little too cumbersome to open carry. ”
Police who searched the home of the shooter recovered 13 firearms at the residence, a shocking number for many. It has been reported that following the shootings, Chris Mercer had in his possession three guns and a rifle. It is apparent to many that these weapons may have come from the home he shares with his mother. The fact her son had reported mental health issues has many wondering why he had access to so many firearms.
This fact was not lost on his father, who in a recent interview asked the same question. “We talk about gun laws. We talk about gun control. Every time something like this happens, they talk about it and nothing gets done. I’m not trying to say that that’s to blame for what happened, but if Chris had not been able to get hold of 13 guns, this wouldn’t have happened.”
When asked about his son’s mental state he could only offer, “Obviously, somebody who goes and kills nine people has to have some kind of issue. Whatever it is, let the police determine what they find.”
The question has to be asked, why would a mother stockpile so many weapons in home with a son who has mental health issues and likely emotionally unstable?
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story included a picture of a woman we identified as Chris Mercer’s mother. The woman depicted is not Mercer’s mother and has no connection to the case. We apologize for the error.
