Monday, September 16, 2013 felt like any normal day for workers in Building 197 at the Washington Navy Yard. However, at 8:12 AM, the lives of these people and those close to them would be changed forever.
That morning, Aaron Alexis walked into building 197 with a Remington 870 tactical shotgun and double-aught buckshot shells in his pockets, all of which were capable of causing mass damage. Alexis fired his first shot, confusing employees throughout the building. One man joked that it sounded like “someone was skateboarding on the ceiling.” After the second shot, John Weaver knew that the base was under attack. Shortly after Alexis fired the first few shots, a voice said over the intercom that there was a fire emergency, and people needed to evacuate. As Terrie Durham and three co-workers were exiting the building, they came across Alexis. It wasn’t until he shot at the group that they realized what the real emergency was. It was believed that Alexis was taken down multiple times, but he always came back, firing at authorities.
By 9:30 a.m., Aaron Alexis had killed 12 Navy Yard workers and injured eight others. In the end, he was also killed by police. Washington Metro Police Department Chief, Cathy Lanier, called the scene “one of the worst things we’ve seen in Washington.” Investigators are still working to figure out what happened that Monday morning. It may be a few weeks until Building 197 opens, even though the rest of the base has been reopened.
After the Navy Yard episode, many people are wondering if gun laws will finally change. The country has experienced multiple gruesome gun attacks over the past few years, such as Aurora, Colorado, and Newtown, Connecticut. These attacks prompted a public outcry for reform. As President Barack Obama spoke in Washington D.C. on Sunday, September 22, he noted, “What wears on us, what troubles us so deeply as we gather here today, is how this senseless violence that took place in the Navy Yard, echoes other recent tragedies.” Many gun-control advocates in Congress said that because they did not have the votes to pass new laws, nothing would be changing. It could be a long time until the gun laws change, but the President assured the public that an agreement will someday be reached.