VOA慢速英语:Washington Navy Yard Shootings

Americans are expressing anger and sadness at the latest shooting incident in the United States. This one took place last Monday in Washington, DC, just a short distance from the Capitol building.
美国人对美国最近发生的枪击事件表达了愤怒和悲伤。上周一发生的事件在华盛顿特区距离国会大厦不远的地方。

Twelve people were killed and several others wounded in the attack at Washington's Navy Yard. Police shot dead the gunman after a search at the base. He was identified as 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, a former Navy Reserve sailor. At the time of the shooting, he was an information technology specialist with a private company that worked for the Defense Department.
华盛顿海军基地的此次袭击造成12人死亡，数人受伤。警方在搜索基地后击毙了这名枪手。他被认定为34岁的前海军预备役水手Aaron Alexis。在枪击案时，他是一家为国防部服务的私营公司的信息技术专家。

His mental condition has become a central issue in the investigation. He had recently told police that he was hearing voices. Mr. Alexis was arrested in two separate shooting incidents in 2004 and 2010. Yet he held a security clearance, which enabled him to enter a secure military area.
他的精神状况已经成为调查的核心问题。最近他曾告诉警方自己听到了什么声音。Alexis曾在2004和2010年发生的两起独立枪击事件中被捕。然而，他参加了一次安全调查，这使他得以进入军事安全区。

This week, many Americans were remembering the victims of the attack. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers suspended debate for a few minutes. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said a few words.
本周，许多美国人在悼念这次袭击的受害者。在国会山，国会议员们暂停了几分钟的辩论，参议院多数党领袖Harry Reid说了几句话。

"My thoughts are with those who are suffering as a result of the loss of their loved ones and also those people recovering from the wounds."
“我的心和那些失去亲人者以及受伤者同在。”

Senator Chris Murphy represents Connecticut, where a gunman killed 26 people at an elementary school in Newtown last year. Since then, he has been the Senate's leading supporter of gun control legislation. He says the Navy Yard shootings show why stronger laws are needed.
参议员Chris Murphy代表的是康涅狄格州，去年一名枪手Newtown的一所小学造成26人。从那时候起，他一直是参议院枪支管制立法的主要支持者。他说，海军基地的枪击事件说明为什么需要更严格的立法。

"People out there do not understand why Congress does nothing as these shootings continue to mount. I think people in Newtown shake their heads when they see another shooting and further potential indifference from Congress."
“那里的人们不明白为什么在枪击案不断发生之际，国会却无动于衷。我认为Newtown的人民看到又一起枪击案和国会的进一步冷漠时会大摇其头。”

Like Mr. Murphy, Illinois Senator Richard Durbin is a member of the Democratic Party. Mr. Durbin notes that gun control legislation died in the Senate earlier this year. He says the failure was mainly the result of Republican opposition to new restrictions and requirements for gun purchases.
与Murphy先生一样，伊利诺伊州参议员Richard Durbin是民主党成员。Durbin先生指出，今年早些时候枪支管制立法在参议院胎死腹中。他说，失败主要是由于共和党反对购买枪支的新限制和要求。

"We have to do everything we can to keep guns out of the hands of those who would misuse them – felons who have a history of misusing firearms, the mentally unstable who cannot be trusted to have a firearm."
“我们必须竭尽所能，让枪支远离可能会滥用它们的人之手，有滥用枪支史的重刑犯、精神状态不稳定者不能信任他们拥有枪支。”

Republican lawmakers have shown little interest in re-opening the gun control debate. But several say the Navy Yard shootings raise other important issues. Senator Lindsey Graham says the shooter never should have been cleared for duty as a military contract worker.
共和党议员对重启枪支管制辩论表示兴趣不大。但一些人说，海军基地的枪击案提出其它一些重要问题。参议员Lindsey Graham说，枪手就应该被清除出军事合同雇员。

"To me, it is not about gun control. It is about what has happened with our contractor force. How could he pass a background check to get a job with the federal government after he had misused a weapon twice? When you shoot a guy's tires out because you are mad at him, you are a good candidate not to work for the federal government."
“对我来说，它与枪支管制无关，而是和我们的军事承包商发生了什么有关。他怎么可能在两次滥用武器之后通过背景核查，得到一份在联邦政府工作？因为对别人生气就拿枪射击别人的轮胎，他不是入联邦政府工作的合适人选。”

Another Republican senator, John McCain, had this to say:
另一位共和党参议员约翰•麦凯恩如是说：

"We also should focus our attention on people who show mental instability and whether they should have access to weapons or not. I think all Americans are in agreement on that."
“我们还应该把注意力放到那些精神不稳定，以及他们是否应该获得武器。我认为所有美国人都会同意这点。”

Congressional members say something should be done to prevent attacks like the one on Monday. But there is no solution acceptable to everyone.
国会议员们称，政府应该有所作为，以防止周一的事件再次发生，但现在没有一个大家都能接受的解决方案。