Politicians and Gun Free Zones To Blame For Another Tragedy

Though the investigation continues, there are several things we already know about this shooting: It happened in a ‘Gun Free Zone’, it was carried out by a disturbed individual and finally of course, the liberal left and the media are demanding more ‘gun-control’, the very thing that contributed to the deaths of some 12 innocent people.

You would think that after the terrorist attack at Fort Hood when a devout Muslim Major Nidal Hasan, walked into a U.S. Army pre-deployment center and conducted his own personal jihad against uniformed service members; 12 murdered, 31 wounded, we would have learned from our mistakes. We did not, in fact our government made conditions worse.

In his September 13, 2011, TheTacticalWire.com article titled : Voices From the Field -- Domestic Terrorist vs. Our Troops: They don't stand a chance, Paul G. Markel laid it on the line with his biting commentary about how political correctness had contributed to the numbers of innocents killed. Markel became a United States Marine in 1987. He has spent his entire adult life in the service of this nation during times of war and peace as a Marine, Police Officer, and Small Arms and Tactics instructor.

‘In the aftermath the nation was in shock. Many of my family members and acquaintances were stunned to learn that Hasan was able to walk through the crowded hall unchecked and fire shot after shot. "How could this happen?" a family member asked me. "Why didn't the soldiers shoot back?" The answer was shocking to those outside of military circles but patently obvious to those of us who have been there. Every soldier in the center was unarmed. Hasan's murder spree was only stopped after two CIVILIAN security officers arrived on scene and shot him...Disarming the warriors is not a new trend. It has been ongoing since long before I earned the Eagle, Globe and Anchor. While on active duty I was a member of the Marine Security Forces Battalion. We were tasked with overseeing the security of nuclear weapons both on land and sea. As a Corporal of the Guard I was in charge of the Detachment Armory that contained M-60 machine-guns, M-16 and M-14 rifles, M203 grenade launchers and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

During duty hours I wore a loaded sidearm and issued pistols, shotgun, and rifles to my troops. Nonetheless, we were forbidden to possess personally owned firearms and even our personally owned Ka-Bar fighting knives had to be locked in a safe in the 1st Sergeants office. Yes, I was trusted with the security of myriad nuclear weapons but could not be trusted to keep a fighting knife in my locker.

In the year 2011 with an ongoing war against terrorists worldwide you'd think the situation would have changed and that every service member would be trained and armed to fight off attack at any time. Having spent three years (2007 to 2010) teaching small arms and tactics to troops preparing for overseas deployment to combat I can testify to the fact that is at least as bad if not worse.’ - Markel

Another contributing factor brought to light by a news organization: Aaron Alexis, the ex-Navy reservist who killed 12 in the massacre at Washington Navy Yard, had been treated for mental issues including paranoia, a sleep disorder and had been hearing voices. Politicians choose to ignore the part mental illness plays in these mass killings, unless the murderer fits their profile, and it would be politically advantageous to point it out. For example, there have been numerous cases in the past where the media has incorrectly reported that the shooter was: Christian, white, veteran, NRA supporter, conservative...not the typical profile of one of these mass murderers.

Then there is the villianization of the gun; but not just any gun, it’s that evil AR-15! Just to be clear, Alexis did NOT carry an AR with him to the killing spree: A shotgun and two handguns were recovered.

Washington, D.C. has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, yet they did absolutely nothing to stop the killing. Regardless of this, right on cue, politicians and anti-gun pundits demand more ‘gun-control’, disarming law-abiding citizens and allowing killers to wrack up the body counts. We don’t need more gun-control, we as Americans want our God-given right to self-defense!