UPDATED - Based on the Early Reports, the Las Vegas Shooting Is Very, Very Strange ... PADDOCK HAD TWO ROOMS, HAD BEEN AT HOTEL FIVE DAYS

“Not an avid gun guy at all...where the hell did he get automatic weapons? He has no military background,” gunman’s brother says pic.twitter.com/EMSKLQGYFM

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 2, 2017

From David French at NRO:

Before I begin, let me clearly state two things. First, as I note in the title of this post, my observations are based on early reports, and early reports are often wrong. Second, do not read this post as implying any sort of conspiracy theory of any kind. I’m merely noting the facts as we currently understand them — and how they differ from recent mass shootings. 

As virtually everyone has noted from the abundant video footage of the incident, it certainly sounds as if the shooter used either fully-automatic weapons or semi-automatic weapons modified (through, for example, a bump fire stock) to closely simulate automatic fire. 

Moreover, the police are reporting that he had “more than 10 rifles.” 

He apparently rented his corner room for days and may have even set up cameras to detect when police were approaching. 

That’s all strange enough, but it’s even more unusual when you consider that his own family apparently didn’t know that he maintained a stockpile of guns. 

Here’s this, from the gunman’s brother, suggesting that the gunman wasn’t an avid gun guy at all: Put all this together, and the shooting is flat-out bizarre. It’s significantly different from virtually any other mass shooting in U.S. history. 

If the weapons were fully automatic, then he likely would have spent immense sums of money to obtain them legally, jumping through extensive legal hoops. 

This twitter thread, from Stephen Gutowski, is very helpful ... 

So, a person who’s “not a gun guy” has either expended untold thousands of dollars to legally purchase fully-automatic weapons, somehow found them on the black market, or purchased and substantially modified multiple semi-automatic weapons — and did so with enough competence to create a sustained rate of fire. 

This same person also spent substantial sums purchasing just the right hotel room to maximize casualties. 

I cannot think of a single other mass shooter who went to this level of expense and planning in the entire history of the United States. 

And there was no real warning? His family was unaware? His brother also reported that the shooter had no meaningful political or religious affiliations. “He just hung out.” 

At the same time, however, there are reports that a woman told a group of concert-goers, “You’re all going to die tonight.”

GO READ THE WHOLE THING.

AND THEN THERE'S THIS, FROM GATEWAY PUNDIT:

UPDATE --- EXPERTS: Las Vegas Mass Shooting Is VERY STRANGE — Unlike Anything– Suspect Bought 30 WEAPONS!

A St. Louis gun expert says to purchase one fully automatic weapon could cost around $30,000. Paddock had 10 weapons in his room. 

An AK-47 semi-automatic would cost you $400-$500. PADDOCK BOUGHT MORE THAN 30 WEAPONS! 

A total of 19 weapons have been recovered so far according to FOX News A St. Louis gun expert says to purchase one fully automatic weapon could cost around $30,000. 

Paddock had 10 weapons in his room. An AK-47 semi-automatic would cost you $400-$500. 

Paddock had been at the hotel since September 28th. 

He was not on anyone’s radar. 

Paddock rented two rooms at the Mandalay hotel.

PATORIUS CUTTING IN HERE:

I thought it looked like those windows were too far apart to be just one room.

Something is very strange. To me, that looks like at least one room between the two rooms he rented. Could be two or three.

Mandalay Bay is a big hotel.

Shooter had rented two rooms at Las Vegas hotelhttps://t.co/BsEJrdW350 pic.twitter.com/eAd0zEseN8

— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) October 2, 2017