On September 16, contractor Alexis Aaron killed 13 people and injured dozens more at the Navy Yard in Washington DC. This attack has sparked debate over gun laws, mental illness and national-security clearances.

by Haley Whitt ’15

Rhode Island police warned the U.S. Navy last month that Aaron Alexis had reported he was “hearing voices.” Using a valid ID, Alexis entered the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters with a legally purchased shotgun. The main issue here is not so much the weapons, but how did he pass the security clearance?

by Michael Crooks ’14

Friends of the shooter, Aaron Alexis, say that he was an avid player of violent video games. On the same day of the Navy Yard shooting, the video game “Grand Theft Auto V” was released. The game is basically about going around killing and stealing from people, using guns and other weapons to do so. The majority of people can separate the video game world from the real world. However, for some mentally flawed people, the violence in video games seems acceptable to mimic in real life.

by Brian Hughes ’15

Before limiting gun rights even further, review how shooter Aaron Alexis legally bought the shotgun in Virginia with gun laws already in place. Current federal laws bar the mentally ill from buying guns, but the illness must be reported to the FBI through a court order to appear on background check databases. Alexis was arrested in 2004 in Seattle when he shot out the tires of a construction worker’s tires due to what he told police was an “anger-fueled blackout.” The government Office of Personal Management even said that they had found the incident in a security check, but the Pentagon ignored it.

“Background checks should be more thorough. Just because someone was in the military doesn’t mean they should easily be able to get weapons. However, there isn’t too much we can do. If someone wants to kill other people, they’ll find a way, no matter the restrictions.”

– Senior Cole Margol

“I think more focus should be placed on mental illness treatments and documenting people who have had a past of violence and mental illness. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people, so we need to focus on fixing that problem first.”

– Junior Kristin Stitzlein