After Multiple Gun Incidents, Why Was the Navy Yard Shooter Given Security Clearance?

[Nova78]

D.C. Gunman Had Clearance, Despite Gun Incidents -- Daily Intelligencer

Aaron Alexis, the man who allegedly killed twelve people at the Washington Navy Yard before dying in a gun battle with police on Monday, was a 34-year-old former Navy reservist, who was discharged in 2011 due to "a pattern of misconduct." In 2004, he was arrested for firing out the tires of a car parked near his Seattle home

Then in 2010, he was arrested again after firing a shot through his upstairs neighbor's floor. While one might think that at least one of these facts would raise a red flag during a background check, officials say Alexis recently obtained security clearance to enter the Navy Yard, and may have even purchased firearms within the past few days.

There were other consequences. Alexis's Fort Worth apartment complex began eviction proceedings, and one Navy official said the gun incident was part of the reason Alexis was given a "general discharge" in January 2011, a classification that often indicates a blemished record.

Tell me how this dipshit got a security clearance.......the lawsuits from this will be huge

 

[Chris]

The gunman who killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday test-fired an AR-15 assault rifle at a Virginia gun store last week but was stopped from buying one because state law there prohibits the sale of such weapons to out-of-state buyers, according to two senior law enforcement officials.

 

[g5000]

Apparently there are no convictions for either incident on Alexis's record. Nevertheless, in the wake of the 2004 incident I am very surprised the Navy gave him a Secret clearance after he enlisted in 2007. And from what I understand, he still had his Secret clearance when he was discharged in 2011, and that clearance carried over into his Navy Yard job.

Then again, some dipshit named Edward Snowden had access to Top Secret material along with thousands of other civilian contractors at the corporation where he worked.

 

[Black_Label]

Because the NRA and right wing idiots think not allowing wackjobs easy access to guns infringes on their rights.

 

[waltky]

Navy was warned about shooter a month ago...

Mother of Washington Navy Yard gunman apologizes to victims
18 Sept.`13 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The mother of Washington Navy Yard gunman Aaron Alexis apologized to the victims on Wednesday, and like his friends and colleagues she was unable to offer clues on his motive for the shooting.

"I don't know why he did what he did, and I'll never be able to ask him why. Aaron is now in a place where he can never do harm to anyone, and for that I am glad," Cathleen Alexis said in an audio statement aired on MSNBC from her home in New York. "To the families of the victims, I am so, so very sorry that this has happened. My heart is broken." All 12 victims, aged 46 to 73, were civilians caught up in the shooting spree on Monday morning by the former Navy reservist who was working as an information technology contractor at the military installation. Alexis was killed in a gun battle with police officers.

As investigators tried to find out what set off Alexis, 34, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel acknowledged there were "red flags" before Alexis received security clearance to work at the complex despite having a history of misconduct and mental health problems. "Obviously when you go back in hindsight and look at all this, there were some red flags - of course there were," Hagel told a news conference. "And should we have picked them up? Why didn't we? How could we have? All those questions need to be answered." Alexis had "secret"-level security clearance and entered the military installation with a valid pass.

Outside of Washington, coffee chain Starbucks Corp asked U.S. customers to leave their guns at home after being dragged into an increasingly fractious debate over gun rights. In a letter and a video presentation, Chief Executive Howard Schultz said the request was not a ban and not in response to the Navy Yard shooting, but nonetheless called it a "timely message." The massacre, just a mile and a half from the U.S. Capitol and three miles from the White House, was the latest in a series of shooting rampages that have shocked the United States in recent years and reopened debate about gun laws.

BOUGHT SHOTGUN IN VIRGINIA