Analysis of Aaron Alexis's Case

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Aaron Alexis’s case could have been avoided if gun laws had been more reliable. Investigators believe that the victims of Aaron Alexis, the navy yard shooter, were selected at random because there was no evidence that a single event triggered Alexis’s violent outburst. Alexis shot twelve people with no indication of a motive. (Hermann) What he did have, though, was a mental illness. He had showed signs of psychosis, but never received any treatment. (Tanfani) Police knew about his delusions and were worried about them; however, there were no reports that he had been hospitalized, although he spent time in the Veterans Affairs Hospital for Insomnia. When doctors there asked if he was depressed or suicidal, he said no.

Because there were no reports of Alexis ever receiving mental help, there was no way he could have been entered into the federal database. Upon deciding to commit a mass violence, he purchased a Remington 370 shot gun, the gun he used during the navy yard shooting, in Newington, Virginia. (Hermann) Aaron Alexis fell outside the bounds of background check standards, which was common for the perpetrators of other mass slayings. One of which, was named Jennifer San Marco.

Jennifer San Marco shot six people and then shot herself and also passed a background check to purchase a gun. In fact, San Marco had no trouble passing the background check in a New Mexico pawn shop, even though she could not legally buy a gun in California. She had been admitted to a hospital for three days in Ventura and had a history of paranoid and bizarre behavior. (Tanfani) Two months before the occurrence, the police were alerted to the behavior by Darlene Hayes. Cibola Counseling Services manager, Darlene Hayes, said she saw San ...

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...life or killed others because they have access to a weapon that can help commit those fatal acts of violence. Gun laws pertaining to those suffering mental illnesses should be more restrictive. It would help to ensure that guns and firearms stay out out of dangerous hands and therefore keep more people safe.

Works Cited

Hermann, Peter, and Ann E. Marimow. "Navy Yard Shooter Aaron Alexis Driven By Delusions." Washington Post. n. page. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.

Tanfani, Joseph. "Gun Laws for Mentally Ill Not So Easy." Los Angeles Times. 22 Sep. 2013: A.12. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Tanfani, Joseph. "Keeping Guns Away From People With Mental Illness is a Complex Issue." Los Angeles Times. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.

Frosch, Dan, and . "Woman in California Postal Shootings Had History of Bizarre Behavior." New York Times. n. page. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.

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