[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English,
[00:09.41]this is In The News.
[00:11.46]Americans are expressing anger and sadness
[00:16.09]at the latest shooting incident in the United States.
[00:20.47]This one took place last Monday in Washington, DC,
[00:25.40]just a short distance from the Capitol building.
[00:29.28]Twelve people were killed and several others wounded
[00:34.77]in the attack at Washington's Navy Yard.
[00:38.66]Police shot dead the gunman after a search at the base.
[00:43.73]He was identified as 34-year-old Aaron Alexis,
[00:49.46]a former Navy Reserve sailor.
[00:52.30]At the time of the shooting,
[00:54.89]he was an information technology specialist
[00:58.56]with a private company that worked for the Defense Department.
[01:03.94]His mental condition has become a central issue in the investigation.
[01:11.16]He had recently told police that he was hearing voices.
[01:16.49]Mr. Alexis was arrested in two separate shooting incidents
[01:22.22]in 2004 and 2010.
[01:26.77]Yet he held a security clearance,
[01:30.30]which enabled him to enter a secure military area.
[01:35.49]This week, many Americans were remembering the victims of the attack.
[01:42.51]On Capitol Hill, lawmakers suspended debate for a few minutes.
[01:49.32]Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said a few words.
[01:54.01]"My thoughts are with those who are suffering
[01:58.04]as a result of the loss of their loved ones
[02:00.53]and also those people recovering from the wounds."
[02:05.91]Senator Chris Murphy represents Connecticut,
[02:09.95]where a gunman killed 26 people
[02:13.28]at an elementary school in Newtown last year.
[02:17.26]Since then, he has been the Senate's leading supporter of
[02:21.74]gun control legislation.
[02:24.74]He says the Navy Yard shootings show why stronger laws are needed.
[02:31.90]"People out there do not understand why Congress does nothing
[02:35.24]as these shootings continue to mount.
[02:37.13]I think people in Newtown shake their heads
[02:39.52]when they see another shooting
[02:42.61]and further potential indifference from Congress."
[02:46.93]Like Mr. Murphy, Illinois Senator Richard Durbin
[02:50.66]is a member of the Democratic Party.
[02:53.51]Mr. Durbin notes that gun control legislation died
[02:58.99]in the Senate earlier this year.
[03:01.67]He says the failure was mainly the result of Republican opposition
[03:07.80]to new restrictions and requirements for gun purchases.
[03:13.13]"We have to do everything we can to keep guns
[03:15.47]out of the hands of those who would misuse them
[03:17.83]– felons who have a history of misusing firearms,
[03:20.79]the mentally unstable who cannot be trusted to have a firearm."
[03:25.67]Republican lawmakers have shown little interest
[03:29.60]in re-opening the gun control debate.
[03:33.03]But several say the Navy Yard shootings raise other important issues.
[03:40.36]Senator Lindsey Graham says the shooter never should have been cleared
[03:46.43]for duty as a military contract worker.
[03:49.92]"To me, it is not about gun control.
[03:52.11]It is about what has happened with our contractor force.
[03:55.35]How could he pass a background check to get a job
[03:59.38]with the federal government after he had misused a weapon twice?
[04:02.63]When you shoot a guy's tires out because you are mad at him,
[04:05.56]you are a good candidate not to work for the federal government."
[04:08.65]Another Republican senator, John McCain, had this to say:
[04:13.34]"We also should focus our attention on people
[04:16.17]who show mental instability
[04:18.21]and whether they should have access to weapons or not.
[04:21.45]I think all Americans are in agreement on that."
[04:23.94]Congressional members say something should be done
[04:27.52]to prevent attacks like the one on Monday.
[04:31.10]But there is no solution acceptable to everyone.
[04:35.54]And that's In The News, from VOA Learning English.
[04:40.77]I'm Steve Ember.