One day after Aaron Alexis opened fire at the Navy Yard gun free zone, President Obama called on Congress to take up gun control and expand background checks.
According to CBS News, Obama said we are “vulnerable to these kinds of mass shootings” because we do not have “a firm enough background check system in place.” He said he and his fellow gun control proponents just want “to take some basic actions that… will make a difference.”
But what kinds of gun control measures and/or background check expansions would have made a difference in this situation? After all, Alexis not only passed a federal background check to purchase his shotgun in Virginia but also passed a military background check to get his “secret-level” clearance for the Navy Yard.
Beyond this, DC has some of the nation’s strictest gun control requirements in the country–including the kind of gun registration rule Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) loves–but none of these things stopped Alexis.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) says he wants to vote on new gun control measures as soon possible, but he has to round up the votes first. Right now he simply does not have them.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins
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