The Naval Yard shooting resulted in the death of 12 people,
a devastating unexplainable act that is amongst a list of shootings that have
happened in the past year. While our country is in mourning, many ask if this
shooting was avoidable especially considering that it happened on a secure
military facility.
As almost anything can be avoided in hindsight, I do not think
this was something that could have been expected because “time and time again,
Mr. Alexis’s behavior fell below a level that would have brought a serious
response, like a less-than-honorable discharge from the military or involuntary
commitment to a mental institution” (Gabriel 1). He was discharged from the
military because of absences, etc. His offenses in the military were not
something that screamed red flag or something that could in other words restrict him from
purchasing a gun or deny him military access. However his episode with over
firing the gun at tires and through his ceiling should have raised some sort of
red flag towards his mental capabilities. This does not reveal a motive for his
mass rampage, but should have raised some questions. I think the problem is
that he was able to purchase a gun in spite of his gun violence, psychiatric
issues, etc. I also think a reoccurring
theme in the devastating shootings lately is that it is so easy to have and
walk around with a gun. This is because we would like to trust in the good of humanity, to the point where it is enough
to not have to put a metal detector at every public place, but shootings have
become “a ritual that we go through every three, four months” (Gabriel 1). We
do not want to look at people and see a capacity of each individual to kill, we
want to believe in the good of human nature.
Gabriel, Trip, Joseph Goldstein, and Michael Schmidt.
"Suspect’s Past Fell Just Short of Raising Alarm." The New York Times.
N.p., Sept.-Oct. 2013. Web. Sept.-Oct. 2013.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/us/washington-navy-yard-shootings.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.
I agree completely. There should be stricter gun laws as well as more filters. There have been too many shootings this year Sandy Hook, the Aurora shooting etc. all because these people were able to obtain weapons too easily. And now the Naval Yard shooting people should wake up and realize its too easy to obtain a gun.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am personally an avid supporter of second amendment rights, its a different story to say who deserves and who should not deserve to own a firearm. In this case I believe the gun was probably purchased before his mental health began to deteriorate, probably before he joined the military, although I could be incorrect. What does bother me more though in what you mention is that yes, it is outrageous that a man could just be carrying this around a "secure" Military facility of all places, I guess it didn't look like any different of a day and if the gun was visible I'm not sure if anyone would have thought to act on reporting it if it seemed as though it belonged to him because he had the clearance and worked as a solider in the past. I don't think there should be more restrictions on what kinds of guns responsible citizens may own, I just hope it can be better forecasted who is trying to purchase weapons. If all else fails though, any person pursuing criminal action who wants it badly enough, can most likely find outlets to purchase a firearm.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I like about this issue is that it is hard to link clearly to common forms of political ax-grinding. Many instinctively feel that it makes the case for stronger gun control: but he did not use an assault weapon or any type of gun that would conceivably be banned, so how could we design a system that would catch him. One option would be to make gun ownership more like car ownership: require a license, insurance, and competency tests. Under current political conditions, this would be unlikely to find its way to law. But it raises interesting problems. The same is true with issues like contractors and mental illness: we may think we want to reform military contractors, or have better mental health screenings. But it is difficult to show exactly what specific changes would have prevented this outcome.
ReplyDeleteThis is unbelievable. We just got done talking about human nature in regards to Mandeville and Smith. Something like this makes me wonder "who was right?" Maybe I am wrong but even after this, I choose to believe that, for the most part, humans are good. I enjoyed ready your entry. Nice job.
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