Steve Laffey addressed devastated families in an impassioned “Laffey Minute” that he posted on his website. He offered prayers and condolences to the victim’s loved ones and indignation for the system that allowed it to happen.

While many identify the shooter’s mental health issues as the source of rampage, Laffey hones in on the Gun Free Zone environment present on all military installations. He believes that more than any alleged deficiency in military healthcare, flawed policy was what contributed to the senseless loss of life yesterday.

The inability of people to defend themselves, especially our military, is outrageous and needs to be stopped," Laffey says in his “Laffey Minute.”

The victims include three dead and sixteen injured. According to a statement by Army Lt. Gen Mark Miley, Fort Hood’s commanding officer, all the victims were military personnel, including the shooter. Since March 1993, Army regulations have forbidden military personnel from carrying firearms on any military installation. It’s a policy that President Clinton implemented shortly after taking office and assuming the role of Commander-in-Chief. According to a USA Today article, the incident at Fort Hood marks the fifth shooting at a U.S. military base since the law was enacted. And it’s the second that took place at Fort Hood.

Fort Hood is home to the second-largest concentration of troops in the US and one of the largest military bases in the world. Nearly 45,000 active-duty soldiers are stationed there, and everyone is trained to operate firearms. Nevertheless, military installations have been deemed “Gun Free Zones.” Those servicemen assigned as military police personnel are the only authorized exceptions.

“We’ve got to change the laws that these people put into place in Washington so that our own military can’t defend themselves in America,” Laffey says. “It’s outrageous and so wrong.”