Another avoidable massacre

Once again, someone with a clear history of mental issues legally purchased a weapon that was then used in an indiscriminate mass shooting.

The shooting rampage in the Navy Yard by subcontractor Aaron Alexis serves both as a reminder of a lax system of gun control laws as well as the challenges the government faces in screening the people it hires for sensitive jobs. The shadow of the leak scandal surrounding Edward Snowden, another contractor, still hangs over this case, given a new failure to select proper staff.

Alexis’ history of mental illness, which included post-traumatic stress disorder and medical appointments as well as arrests for firearms incidents, should have disqualified him from a job in a secure area.

Oddly enough, when these tragedies happen, the media quickly obtains the history of a suspect—which seemed to have been unknown to or ignored by those who hired these people to work in sensitive jobs.

This same history should have been a good reason for a gun dealer not to sell a rifle to Alexis, but that was not the case. Under the law, being diagnosed with a mental illness does not prevent a weapon sale unless there has been a court order or hospitalization.

Obviously, that legal pattern was unable to prevent a man who said he heard voices in his head from buying a weapon at a store. The question, as always, is how much longer this threat to public safety will be allowed to continue. As long as no action is taken, we will have to helplessly wait for the next massacre.