Exactly what kind of weapon was used in the sniper attacks that killed six people and wounded two others in this area since last week - and how easy is it to get one? Authorities have yet to report any specifics on the model of firearm used, but the bullets recovered in all the shootings came from the same type of high-powered rifle; and despite various federal, state and local laws, obtaining such a deadly and consistently accurate weapon is appallingly easy.
The .223 rifle round that investigators have identified is widely used in what are loosely referred to as military and "military-style" weapons that are mass-marketed for dubious "civilian" uses.
According to Tom Diaz, senior policy analyst at the Violence Policy Center, one of the most lethal types is the sniper rifle, designed and manufactured for the purpose of killing human beings at more than five times the range at which hunters shoot deer. Precision is key: The sniper's informal motto, Mr. Diaz says, is "One shot, one kill."
This distinguishes the sniper rifle from the all-too-prevalent semiautomatic assault weapon that can spray a closer, broader area with rapid fire. Thanks to aggressive marketing by the gun industry and the political muscle of its strongest lobby, the National Rifle Association, plenty of legal loopholes make buying a snap.
In Maryland, home of some of the country's tightest gun-control laws, anyone who can clear a background check - instant for some rifles, seven days for others - can buy a weapon. As computerized criminal background rosters grow, they become more effective in flagging lawbreakers.
But in Virginia, anybody can go to a gun show and buy a weapon with no questions asked. Clearly more uniform federal laws are needed, but neither the Bush administration nor Congress has done a thing on this front in years. As it stands, the firearms industry isn't even subject to basic consumer health and safety laws; and categories of weapons allowed or banned are poorly defined.
Requirements that gun manufacturers provide authorities with spent shell casings for all weapons could improve the tracking of firearms from original sales to the hands of criminals. But only Maryland and New York have begun setting up ballistic fingerprint systems. A national file would be especially useful; but Congress, cowed by NRA opposition, hasn't touched it. President Bush, who talks about preventive measures in the battle against global terrorism, ought to consider a similar approach to terrorism in his back yard.
[EditorOs Note: In light of the situation in the Beltway, the Spectrum is deferring to the commentary provided by the national news media. The editorials reprinted here are from the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times respectively.]
