Man Shoots Two Officers Outside of Pentagon

A man calmly approached the screening area outside the Pentagon at 6:40 p.m. this evening and opened fire, grazing two Pentagon police officers before they returned fire. The incident happened when a man wearing a coat - with "no real emotion in his face" -- approached the officers outside the Pentagon Metro station, said Pentagon Police Chief Richard S. Keevill. As the officers started to ask him for his pass to get into the Pentagon, he drew a weapon from his pocket and started shooting immediately at the officers" from a few feet away. The two Pentagon Force Protection Agency officers returned fire with their semi-automatic Glock .40-caliber weapons and the suspect, thought to be a U.S. citizen, was critically wounded. Many shots were said to be fired during the time. The Pentagon is one of the largest office buildings in the world with three times the floor space of New York's Empire State Building and about 23,000 military and civilian employees work there.

Even though it would seem much safer for every citizen to have a gun, it's easy to see why some people would think otherwise. I personally don't have anything against limiting gun ownership. However, many gun owners commit crimes out there, even the illegal gun owners. Especially since nowadays some states don't require background checks and criminals can even buy guns on the street illegally. Furthermore, this incident seems to portray a weakness in the defense system at the Pentagon. How can trained guards overlook a suspect that had the intention to hurt them or other Americans working there. If they were unable to stop the convict, probably more people would have been hurt. I feel that they should do more to strengthen their defense system. Your thoughts? Let me know if you agree or disagree.