Sadly, like the tragedies in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., it is unlikely any substantive gun policies will emerge as a response to the shooting at Washington Navy Yard this past Monday.

Monday’s shooting does not appear to tell us anything new and does not address anything we are not already used to hearing.

The shooter is 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, who was a government contractor, and according to the FBI, had “legitimate access” to the Navy Yard. He used his credentials as a civilian contractor to get into Building 197. He was killed by police at the scene.

Alexis’ 12 victims were all civilians and government contractors. None of them were military personnel.

On Tuesday, the FBI refuted earlier reports that Alexis had used an AR-15 assault rifle. The FBI did state, however, that Alexis legally purchased a shotgun, which was found at the crime scene.

Alexis had a prior history of two arrests involving firearms, according to The New York Times. He also had a history of mental and emotional problems and a history of insubordination and misconduct while in the military.

In familiar fashion, the National Rifle Association refused to comment on Monday.

You can bet that in the coming weeks, the NRA will release a statement in which they offer a limited apology to the victims’ families and a stern, lengthy rebuttal to calls for stricter gun control.

Someone from the NRA or a conservative lawmaker will undoubtedly propose a hypothetical scenario in which all of the victims had guns and heroically – might I add, improbably – returned fire on Alexis, killing him instantly, while managing not to hit any civilians in the process.

It is impossible to eliminate guns altogether, but given the staggering number of gun-related homicides in this country perpetrated by people with histories of violence and mental illness, it makes perfect sense to expand background checks and close loopholes.

According to a Quinnipiac University poll from February, 92 percent of voters and 91 percent of gun-owning households support expanding universal background checks for potential gun buyers.

However, in April, shouts of “shame on you” filled the Senate chamber as a bipartisan bill expanding universal background checks failed to pass the Senate. “How can something that has 90 percent support not happen?” asked a disgruntled President Obama.

Aaron Alexis legally purchased his shotgun three weeks ago, according to The Huffington Post, after undergoing a background check that revealed his two previous arrests. He was seeking mental help through the Veteran’s Administration, but according to federal law, seeking help for a mental disorder or even being diagnosed with one, does not make someone ineligible to purchase a firearm.

To become ineligible, a court has to decide that someone is mentally unfit, which is a very high standard.

If any facts from this event could influence necessary changes to gun regulations, it is that Alexis bought the shotgun in Virginia despite not being a resident of the state. He then took the weapon into Washington, D.C., which has significantly stricter gun laws than Virginia.

The intrastate flow of weapons is a problem facing many states that border other states with more lax regulations. Overarching, federal gun regulations that make it harder to purchase firearms would help curb this problem.

According to an article by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, England and Wales have about 50 gun homicides per year—three percent of our rate—and Japan has almost zero. How can this be? You guessed it. These two countries have some of the tightest gun regulations among developed countries.

The facts from this incident and the likely outcome where the NRA blocks common-sense gun control legislation in Congress are becoming too familiar. This is the United States of America. These things shouldn’t happen here.

Michael Hacker is a senior political science major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at mahacker@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @mikeincuse.

Published on September 19, 2013 at 2:52 am