Murderer Picked Up Guns From Victims

There seem to be multiple sources confirming that the Navy Yard shooter began his attack with a shotgun.  I would insert a gratuitous Biden joke, except it is not funny.

This is from a rather jumbled report by NBC Washington:

When it was over, the suspected gunman lay dead amid an armload of weapons. Sources told News4 that surveillance footage showed that he began his attack with a shotgun, but was found with a 9mm pistol and an AR-15 assault rifle.

NBC News correspondent Pete Williams is reporting Alexis purchased a shotgun in Lorton, Va. during the past week or so. 

The suspected gunman appeared to have seized firearms from two of his victims as he moved through the building along the Anacostia River in southeast Washington, where 3,000 Navy employees go to work each day, many of them carrying authorized firearms.

A couple of things in this are probably wrong or misleading.  Most likely the "AR-15" was not a civilian weapon but a weapon taken from the police officer who was shot.  Some of our county deputies carry AR-15 variants in their cars, none of which, as far as I know are select-fire, but that may not be the case in DC.  Some reports indicate bursts of fire so there is a good chance the weapon taken was a police-issued M-4.

I also think those "carrying authorized firearms" are only security personnel -- such as the guard at the gunman's entry point, and military police who might be in facility.  Our service men and women are generally disarmed on bases. 

One thing we have to be careful about is going along with tighter restrictions on people with "mental health issues".  This guy was probably crazier than a loon, had anger issues, and may well have been taking psychiatric medication.  In that case, it's probably a good idea to limit access to weapons.  However, that is not the same as having classes of people declared mentally unfit by government-approved shrinks or having to undergo psychiatric evaluation to buy a firearm.

Making mental-stability a requirement to own firearms may be the new gun-grab.

Update:  I meant to include this link and something shiny went by.   Gateway has a rundown of the gunman's encounters with law enforcement.   The one that strikes me as rather egregious is the 2004 incident in which the perpetrator shot out the tires on a car, as described by the Smoking Gun: 

Alexis was also arrested in mid-2004 after allegedly firing several shots into the tires of a vehicle parked in front of his Seattle, Washington home, according to a police report. Alexis told cops that he had perceived that the car’s owner--a construction worker from a nearby job site--had “mocked him.”

Police recovered a Glock .45 caliber handgun and ammo that Alexis stored in his bedroom in a residence owned by his grandmother. After waiving his Miranda rights, Alexis told investigators that he believed the victim had “disrespected him” and that perception resulted in a “‘black out’ fueled by anger.” Alexis added that he did not remember pulling the trigger until 30 minutes after the shooting.

Alexis, a New York City native, told police that he “was present during the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 and how those events had disturbed him.”

In a subsequent interview with Alexis’s father, the man told cops that his son had experienced “anger management problems” that family members “believed associated with PTSD.” Alexis’s father “confirmed that his son was an active participant in rescue attempts of September 11th, 2001.”

Alexis, who had a Washington State concealed pistol license, was charged with illegal discharge of a firearm and property damage. The disposition of those counts remains unclear.  (Emphasis added by me)

That is felony territory.  Anything that carries a sentence of over one year in jail generally disqualifies a person from legally purchasing a firearm.  I can tell you that if I had done that I would never have been able to own a gun again.  Maybe the Seattle prosecutor already had his/her quota of young black males for the year. You have to prove you're not discriminating or profiling, right?

Not that not having legal access to a firearm would have made any difference.  The murderer could have stolen a gun or used a knife or a baseball bat to take out the guard and arm himself.  Nevertheless, someone needs to answer as to why this nutcase was still walking around and getting security clearances.