A lone gunman killed eleven people and injured many more in an attack Monday morning in Washington D.C.’s Navy Yard district.
Washington, D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier said one gunman – identified by police as Aaron Alexis, a military contractor from Texas – was dead on the scene. Lanier initially said two possible co-conspirators were at large, however one of those individuals was later cleared of any involvement and a police manhunt for a second shooter was called off.
“We have the single and sole person responsible for the loss of life inside the base today,” Lanier said late Monday.
The attack began at around 8:20 a.m. when three shots were fired at the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters building – which houses an estimated 3,000 government employees. More shots followed in rapid succession. Witnesses described the shooter as a “tall, black man” carrying a rifle.
U.S. President Barack Obama was informed of the attack by his national security advisors.
“We are confronting yet another mass shooting,” Obama said. “And today it happened on a military installation in our nation’s capital. It’s a shooting that targeted our military and civilian personnel.”
Obama called the victims of the attack “patriots.”
Security was enhanced at federal office buildings in the nation’s capitol and planes at Reagan National Airport were briefly grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in response to the violence.
Washington, D.C. has some of the nation’s strictest anti-gun laws. It is unlawful for citizens to carry firearms – concealed or otherwise. Meanwhile the city has regulations banning the ownership of a wide range of weapons and high-capacity magazines. Not only that, Washington, D.C. residents wishing to own a weapon must submit to fingerprinting, complete a weapons safety course and pass a written test on the district’s gun regulations.
In 1975 Washington D.C. banned all handguns – although the U.S. Supreme Court declared this law unconstitutional in 2008.
Despite its harsh anti-Second Amendment laws, Washington, D.C. had the eighth-highest murder rate in America in 2012 – with nearly 14 murders per 100,000 residents.
UPDATE: Local authorities are confirming deceased shooter Aaron Alexis acted alone in carrying out the Navy Yard attack.
15 comments
Here’s hoping the cops aim well and end this quickly, since D.C.’s gun control laws don’t allow the citizens to.
Time for martial law to keep everyone safe.
It is my understanding that DC has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation. I’m sure there are also gun free zones in the area of this purported shooting. I can only surmise that this whole story is either fallacious or happening in a different area.
Used to be the toughest. SCOTUS spanked them. Not sure what they’ve repealed to date. Probably nothing, but technically speaking….
They spanked DC but DC still has tricks (and lawsuits) up their sleeves. DC is still very heavily regulated as far as gun ownership and use is concerned.
You have to consider the laws of VA and MD. They surround DC and if there weren’t signs you would hardly know you are going from one to the other.
Which is why the gun control faction is trying to pass legislation at the Federal level to bring all states into the fold, they have tried doing the state to state thing and that is slow work and not as effective as the recent recall in Colorado shows in a small way.
Hard to say. That’s a toss-up between Chicago and D.C.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_v._Heller
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald_v._Chicago
Both of these were ruled in favor of gun rights, as both laws questioned instituted what was essentially a handgun ban, thus infringing on one’s right to “keep and bear arms.” Both were 5-4 decisions, which illustrates the unfortunate fact that the Second Amendment is not necessarily free from danger. I mean, these were cold cut cases where the law was in direct opposition to the Constitution.
The decisions/opinions on these two cases are good reads if you’re into that sort of stuff.
One replaceable justice is all that is needed to separate us from our guns, then hell breaks loose.
One replaceable justice is all that is needed to attempt to separate us from our guns, then [all] hell breaks loose.
MOLON LABE
Fixed it for ya!
“An armed society is a polite society.” – Robert A. Heinlein, L. Neil Smith
“A gun-free school is a shooting gallery.” – Polyphemos, Slartibartfast.
fuckin A man!! it was gun control that made his happen!! you are the only one with the courage to speak out. keep rockin the second commendment braveheart.
Workplace violence only. File a work comp claim.
What? Another gun free zone attacked? No.
all they need is one armed resource officer onsite. problem solved. fort jackson should have one too. remember, getting rid of automatic weapons never solved anything, except in every other country on earth.