It's now referred to as "America's first mass shooting," and those who remember it say it certainly felt like the start of something new, strange, and horrible when Charles Whitman started shooting people at random from the University of Texas clock tower on Aug. 1, 1966. In a coincidence that some find chilling, Monday is not only the 50th anniversary of Whitman's rampage, which killed 17 people, but also the day the state's "campus carry" law comes into effect, allowing people to carry concealed handguns at public universities across Texas. A roundup of coverage:
- The AP answers some questions about the new law, including details on what parts of campuses guns will be allowed in—and on why it was so controversial.