--- title: Ben Carson: 'I Wouldn't Just Stand There' In Oregon Shooting description: The Republican candidate said he'd have handled things differently in last week's community college mass shooting. canonical: https://time.com/4063493/ben-carson-oregon-shooting/ author: Tanya Basu article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-06T20:45:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:01:21.017Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ben Carson: 'I Wouldn't Just Stand There' In Oregon Shooting og:description: He also said that he probably wouldn't visit Oregon in the aftermath. og:url: https://time.com/4063493/ben-carson-oregon-shooting/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc14535486209cc2/698867200b72e3a0a36e630d/ben-carson1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4896 og:image:height: 2754 og:image:alt: Ben Carson og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ben Carson: 'I Wouldn't Just Stand There' In Oregon Shooting twitter:description: He also said that he probably wouldn't visit Oregon in the aftermath. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc14535486209cc2/698867200b72e3a0a36e630d/ben-carson1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ben Carson: I Would Not Just Stand There and Let Oregon Attacker Shoot Me > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=313d7708-1e0a-4621-bcc7-f77d5089b4d0&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Tanya Basu](https://time.com/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Oct 6, 2015 8:45 PM UTC  Ben Carson looks on as he is introduced to speak at a town hall meeting, on Oct. 2, 2015, in Ankeny, IA. Ben Carson looks on as he is introduced to speak at a town hall meeting, on Oct. 2, 2015, in Ankeny, IA. Charlie Neibergall—AP  by [Tanya Basu](https://time.com/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Oct 6, 2015 8:45 PM UTC Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told Fox News on Tuesday morning that he’d have taken a different approach if he had been approached by the Oregon shooter. “Not only would I probably not cooperate with him, I would not just stand there and let him shoot me,” [Carson told Fox & Friends on Tuesday](http://video.foxnews.com/v/4535654964001/ben-carson-on-hillary-clintons-gun-control-push/?#sp=show-clips) in response to a question about how he’d have handled the gunman in a hypothetical situation. “I would say: ‘Hey, guys, everybody attack him! He may shoot me but he can’t get us all.'” **Read more:** [Inside Ben Carson’s Unlikely—and Uncommonly Spiritual—Campaign](http://time.com/4057281/ben-carson-campaign/) [Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon was the site of a mass shooting that killed 10 people](http://time.com/4058269/oregon-shooting-community-college/), including gunman Christopher Harper-Mercer, on October 1\. Harper-Mercer asked students in a classroom if they were Christian before shooting them. The day after the attack, Carson tweeted a photograph of himself with a sign declaring, “I am a Christian.” > [](https://twitter.com/RealBenCarson/status/650044758975479808) On Monday evening, before his appearance on Fox & Friends, Carson wrote a [Facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/realbencarson/posts/537817656384705) on his thoughts about gun control. In the post, Carson says he remains against gun control, despite seeing “plenty of gun violence as a child.” “There is no doubt that this senseless violence is breathtaking—but I never saw a body with bullet holes that was more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away,” he wrote. Republicans, traditionally staunch supporters of the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms, have gone on the defensive after the shooting spree. Carson mentioned earlier in the interview that mental health is something that needs to be studied. “Of course it’s the person behind the gun,” he said. “Guns don’t kill people.” Commenting on some residents hesitant of a planned visit by President Barack Obama to the area to meet with victims and the community, Carson said that traveling to the area would not have been on his agenda. “Probably not,” he said. “I mean, I would probably have so many things on my agenda that I would go to the next one.” ### See Ben Carson's Life in Photos  An early childhood photograph of Ben Carson. Courtesy of Ben Carson Campaign  Ben Carson's graduation from Southwestern High School, Detroit circa 1969. Courtesy of Ben Carson Campaign  Ben Carson with his mother, Sonya, and his future wife, Candy after his graduation from Yale University, circa 1973. Courtesy of Ben Carson Campaign  Dr. Donlin Long, director of neurosurgery, left, and Dr. Ben Carson director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital, with brain model of the Siamese twins separated in a 22-hour surgery at Hopkins, Sept. 7, 1987, in Baltimore. Fred Kraft—AP  Dr. Ben Carson shares his personal story with middle school students on March 17, 2000 in Roswell, N.M. Aaron J. Walker—AP  Dr Dennis Rohner, Dr Beat Hammer, Dr Ivan Ng, Dr Ben Carson, Prof. Walter Tan, and Dr Keith Goh rehearse an operation to separate conjoined twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani from Iran at Raffles Hospital on July 5, 2003 in Singapore. Reuters  Dr. Keith Goh (left) adjusts the frame on conjoined twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani as Dr. Ben Carson observes the start of neurosurgery proceedings at the Raffles Hospital on July 6, 2003 in Singapore. Getty Images  Ten-year-old Indian twins Sabah and Farah sit beside Ben Carson (C), Managing Director, Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, Anne Marie Moncure, their father Shakeel (L), their brother (R) and senior child specialist of Apollo Hospital, Dr. Anupan Sibal, on Oct. 4, 2005 in New Delhi. Raveendran—AFP/Getty Images  George W. Bush presents a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ben Carson for his work with neurological disorders on June 19, 2008 at the White House in Washington. Alex Wong—Getty Images  Ben Carson officially announces his candidacy for President of the United States on May 4, 2015 in Detroit. Bill Pugliano—Getty Images  Ben Carson poses for a photo during the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Dinner on May 16, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Ben Carson speaks during the Energizing America Gala at the 2015 Southern Republican Leadership Conference May 22, 2015 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Alex Wong—Getty Images  Ben Carson at a political fund-raiser for GOP candidates on June 6, 2015, in Boone, Iowa. Jabin Bostford—The Washington Post/Getty Images  Republican presidential candidates from left, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and John Kasich take the stage for the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. Andrew Harnik—AP  Ben Carson prays during church services at Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines , Iowa. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  Ben Carson rides the Sky Glider with a reporter while touring the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  Ben Carson and his wife Candy on Aug. 18, 2015 in Phoenix. Ross D. Franklin—AP  Ben Carson is greeted by supporters at a rally on Aug. 27, 2015 in Little Rock, Ark. Danny Johnston—AP  Ben Carson at a service at Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church on Aug. 16, 2015 in Des Moines. Daniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4063493/ben-carson-oregon-shooting/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4063493/ben-carson-oregon-shooting/"},"headline":"Ben Carson: I Would Not Just Stand There and Let Oregon Attacker Shoot Me","datePublished":"2015-10-06T20:45:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:21.017Z","description":"\"I would not just stand there and let him shoot me.\"","url":"https://time.com/4063493/ben-carson-oregon-shooting/","keywords":["2016 elections","republicans","Christianity","Campaigns","Guns","gun rights","oregon","Donald Trump","Dr. Benjamin S. 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