On a brighter note... Every time the morons go off on a tangent like this, and they are proven wrong, it discredits their cause.
The biggest issue in this one right now, the one we should all be screaming at the top of our lungs about in reply to their allegations, is the fact that this guy has had a long standing history of mental defect and violence, and numerous arrests, and none of it showed up in his background checks.
His father indicated to Seattle Police in 2004, that Aaron Alexis had Anger Management issues. This was after he had shot out the tires on a construction worker's car, and it was made note of in the investigators' report. But... No charges were filed in that incidence. Hmmmm... maybe if the system hadn't failed, he would have been charged, he would have been locked up, he would have had a record that showed up on a background check, and that would have prevented him from legally purchasing a firearm. He would have had a record that prevented him from having security clearance to be in the Naval Yard also.
The lack of formal charges in that incidence allowed him to join the Navy. His background check there turned up nothing, allowing him a "Secret" security clearance. Two independent background checks commissioned by his employer in the last month, failed to turn up any of THREE previous run-ins with the law, all of violent nature, or the fact that he was currently undergoing psychiatric treatment. ALL OF WHICH would have shut his security clearance down. Had they not negotiated his early discharge, under honorable conditions, rather than issuing a General Discharge over Disciplinary issues, this too would have shown up on his background check, and shut down his security clearance.
He just had a background check performed for purchase of the shotgun 2 days earlier, and that background check came back clean. If any of his 3 arrests had had formal charges filed, he wouldn't have been allowed to purchase the shotgun. If his psychiatric treatment showed up, he wouldn't have been allowed to purchase the shotgun.
Bottomline is, the system failed in every respect in this one. Their supposed Universal Background Checks are ludicrous in practice, as a preventative tool, as was most judiciously proven in this case. The shooter Aaron Lewis has had 3 background checks performed since August, and NONE OF THEM have shown any of his prior arrests for gun, or other violence, NONE OF THEM have shown any indication of his violent tendencies, NONE OF THEM have shown any indication of his long standing mental defect, NONE OF THEM have shown any indication he was undergoing psychiatric treatment.
So, the pulpit is now ours to use gentlemen, it is now time to ask, at every turn, how much safer is society going to be with Universal Background Checks in place?? Aaron Alexis with 3 prior arrests for violence, 2 of those with a firearm, a checkered military career, a long standing background of mental defect, currently undergoing psychiatric care, has undergone 3 background checks in the last month, and NONE OF THEM have turned up a damm thing to deny him access to a firearm, or a SECRET military security clearance, because the system is broken.
I think it's time to tell the anti-gun liberal crowd to go find another horse to whip, they've run this one into the ground.
