Written by: Khiry Clements

While many people were just starting off what they thought was going to be a normal day at work, a madman by the name of Aaron Alexis had other things in mind. A tragedy occurred in Washington, D.C. on Monday around noon when two gunmen opened fire at a navy yard, killing 13 people including the gunman and injuring several others.

This cowardly act has gotten nationwide attention. “They’re patriots, and they know the dangers of serving abroad,” President Obama said. “But today they faced the unimaginable: violence that they wouldn’t have expected here at home.”

According to Yahoo News, the deceased suspect was a 34-year-old civilian contractor from Queens, New York. The other suspect is still on the run and is described as an African-American 40 to 50-year-old man carrying a large gun.

This mass shooting is devastating to many due to the fact that the people fighting to keep us Americans safe have to fight for their lives on their own land. This sort of madness is unexplainable.

Personally, I feel as though security should be stepped up not only at public places but at government facilities as well. This is another example of why America needs to buckle down on gun control. These types of mass slayings continue to happen heavily due to the rather easy access to guns.

By the time the navy base was put on lockdown, it was too late. The SWAT team showed up but by the time they arrived, several were already murdered.

There were approximately 3,000 employees at work that day, each completely unaware of what was going on right around them. This occurrence, along with every other mass shooting that has ever occurred, should be taken into account. People need to be more aware of their surroundings.

Is this really what our nation has come to? Are we going to have to be armed so that we feel protected at all times? It’s time for America to open its eyes. We need to take a stand against these violent acts and bring about a stronger gun control policy.