For over a week, the Washington, D.C. metro area and suburbs up to 50 miles away from the district have feared more attacks by an unknown sniper. In Washington, they have nicknamed the sniper the “beltway killer.” This unknown killer has gained the nickname because of his random pick of victims from Fredericksburg, Va., to Montgomery County, Md. At this point in time we are unsure killer’s motive and a profile is yet to be released.
Speculation is the word around the beltway. Could this be another form of terrorism? Is the killer a mentally disturbed person doing this for no real reason, or is it a man on a mission?
Most newspapers this morning reported that activities around the Washington area had been halted or canceled. The UK Times reported that the president’s bodyguards are in search of the “beltway killer.”
One of the goals of terrorism is to strike fear into common persons. If the general population feels threatened, the terrorist has been successful. By putting fear into the masses the terrorist might make some requirements for his actions to stop. He could say, for example, “If the war on Iraq proceeds, the killings will continue.” So the general population would demand that the government make a deal with Hussein.
Is it a coincidence that the sniper is attacking now? We are more than likely close to war with Iraq and the suicide bombings have halted for now.
There is one thing we do know. Bin Laden’s sleeper cells are being found all over the United States. Lately two cells have been busted up in Buffalo and Portland, Ore. We also know that New York City and Washington, D.C., have been the focal points for terrorist attacks.
If Hussein is funding terrorism and especially the al-Quaeda, whose focal point seems to be the West, it would seem quite clear that they do not want to lose one of their main money lines. President Bush has been rooting out the accounts that fund terrorism so I’m guessing money is pretty tight in the terrorism world right now.
A new count of those who died in the 9/11 attacks was released yesterday. The total was under 2,900 people. That number is phenomenal if you think about how many more lives could have been lost. Al-Quaeda’s attack was successful in bringing down World Trade Center towers, but the loss of life was very little in comparison to what they intended to destroy. The attacks brought the United States closer together, made America look a bit closer at the FBI and CIA, and gave our president the incentive to lead the world in the irradication of terrorism.
It must be understood that most of what I have written about in regards to the sniper killer is speculation. What could come from these current crimes that could further deter terrorism in the homeland?
Gun control.
Gun control laws may be loosened that common people can protect their lives. When I turned on my TV Monday morning and saw that a 13-year-old child had been shot at school, I was confused and angered. What if the child’s parent had had a firearm to protect that child? There may not still be a “beltway killer” right now.
Gun control is a touchy issue. What I’m talking is the use of guns becoming deterrents from such crimes. Guns, the last time I checked, do not kill people but people kill people.
Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose said Monday that the killings were now getting personal. As a nation we should take it personally and take the steps to deter such future acts of violence.

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