I really do believe the reason Omar Gonzalez made his way across the lawn without being stopped had to do with the controversy of all the citizen killings by police. The Secret Service dearly didn't want to kill anyone they believed to be unarmed.
Mr. Gonzalez had a knife, but, it wasn't brandishing it as weapon, it was on his person. He actually wanted to talk to the President and as former military I find that interesting. He wanted to speak to the Commander and Chief. He obviously has mental illness problems, but, they weren't manifesting as violent toward the President.
I think all the events need to be taken very seriously and every potential for any harm to anyone in the White House complex has to be defeated. We so rarely hear of these instances that seem to happen on a regular basis, the Secret Service does a commendable job in stopping the assault without causing death to a citizen. That is a tough job.
I think the country and the Secret Service need to do better. The incident in 2011 could not be stopped. The best anyone could do is find the perpetrator. The fact the shootings took place IS also a very big concern and it is a concern for the country. The Secret Service does not read minds.
