Navy Yard shooting, How will this affect us

Well the latest news report says he entered the Navy Yard using his pass and brought a shotgun with him. Not sure how he got in carrying a shotgun but there it is. He then shot a guard/policeman, stole his M16 (or AR-15 depending on which story you hear), and his M9 pistol, and started using those weapons to kill workers at the yard.

Now Feinstein and the other libs are already hollering that we need sensible gun laws to prevent this from happening again. Really. If there were ever a case that demonstrates the ineffectiveness of strict gun laws, this must take top place. DC, with some of the most restrictive laws on the books, a stolen officer's weapons, a history of mental issues, a history of violence, and none of these were prosecuted at any level, and you have a prima facie case for doing away with the useless laws already on the books, and certainly not one for another unenforced law that will make absolutely no difference.

As an aside, my wife and I were sitting down to dinner as the reports were still coming in, and she looked at me and asked "How many laws did he break before he pulled the trigger the first time?"

In even very secure military/government installations, people who work there and have the proper credentials are rarely searched or even go through a metal detector. It would just involve too much time and effort, let alone raising privacy questions. Secure areas are not much different from other offices; people bring in personal stuff all the time, and even security at the airport level would create chaos when hundreds of people come to work at one time.

Things are not clear at this point on the Navy Yard situation, but it looks like the shooter had the proper ID card and area pass and there was no reason to believe that he intended to do what he did.

Jim

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Not sure but I'd say not good.
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There wont be any effect. The gun control lobby has burned itself out for now. There just aren't the votes for anything resembling gun control.

The only argument they could use is if he bought the shotgun through a private sale. Then they will start all the background check nonsense again.

Would this create another run on ammo?...There has been an ammo shortage going on for three quarters of a year.....

This individual got through the gate with a common access card that was either his card or the card of someone resembling him. His vehicle likely had a valid DoD sticker displayed on the windshield. He most likely had the double barrel shotgun buried somewhere inside his vehicle. The guards can't stop and search every single vehicle that comes on base. It's logistically impossible.

At the building entrance he shot the security guard and took his Beretta 9mm. He then shot a responding DC police officer in the legs, obviously knowing that the officer was wearing a vest, and took his AR-15.

This just emphasizes the fact that a determined individual who's ready to die is difficult to stop regardless of how many gun laws are in place and regardless of his restricted access to firearms.

By the way, this was a double barrel shotgun, the type of weapon that the Vice President has already given his stamp of approval on.

Using marginal weapons to kill better armed opponents and take their guns and ammo was an insurgent tactic of the Maquis against the Germans and Filipinos against the Japanese in WWII, and Viet Cong against the French and later the US. And the occupied territories had strict civilian gun control, to boot.

Carl N. Brown said:

Using marginal weapons to kill better armed opponents and take their guns and ammo was an insurgent tactic of the Maquis against the Germans and Filipinos against the Japanese in WWII, and Viet Cong against the French and later the US. And the occupied territories had strict civilian gun control, to boot.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what the "Liberator" pistol was all about. Dropped down by the Allies, a simple inexpensive single shot .45 ACP with pictorial instructions was to be used to shoot an enemy, and takes his superior weapons.

As previously mentioned, the gun control lobby has recently suffered some defeats, plus the recalls, and may be licking their wounds more than preparing for another attack. But they are tenacious.........