One of the most frustrating aspects of the Fort Hood shooting is how predictable it should have been, based on the prior actions of Major Nidal Malik Hasan. After years of tutelage under a known radical Muslim Imam, Hasan attempted to contact al Qaeda. He posted justifications of suicide bombing on the Internet and said several extremely disturbing things about “infidels” in front of his colleagues.

Not only is he not arrested, but he doesn’t even seem to have been monitored. And according to new regulations issued in June, he is permitted to carry a privately purchased gun on base, like all other personnel at Fort Hood, provided that it is properly declared at the access point.