One inch (maybe less) to the shooter’s right and the outcome at a recent Trump rally could have been tragically different.
In the days that followed the assassination attempt, more information about the shooter was presented by news outlets. At the time of this writing, the only information I’ve heard is that the shooter was a 20-year-old young man from Pennsylvania. He used his dad’s AR-15 high-powered rifle to shoot several shots at former President Donald Trump at the beginning of his rally. The shooter was on a rooftop about 148 yards away. The shooter was taken out by Secret Service snipers perched on a different rooftop.
From my experience, both hunting and qualifying shooting for the police department, I can tell you the shot was not an easy one. A target about six to eight inches in circumference from that distance would take a lot of skill – or perhaps a lot of luck.
The lucky one in this instance is former President Trump. One inch to the shooter’s right and we’d probably be looking for a new Republican candidate.
The unlucky ones are those innocent bystanders who got shot. At the time of this writing, one of them died and one was in critical condition.
Naturally, there are a lot of questions. How could someone with a rifle get that close to any candidate? Did security clear that particular building? How will security details change to try to prevent any future attempts?
Some people will probably criticize the security detail responsible for protection at the Trump Rally, but I have to say I was very impressed with the speed and effectiveness of the security team when the shooting occurred. That team of men and women were there covering Mr. Trump within seconds of the sound of gunfire. The security team put their own lives in jeopardy to prevent additional injury to Mr. Trump as they escorted him to a waiting vehicle. Former President Trump was fortunate that his only injury was to his right ear.
Other questions surrounding this incident should be, what in the world is wrong with people? How can someone decide to attempt an assassination?
I’m guessing this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment event. It took planning. The shooter had to know where he needed to be to get any shot. He had to have scoped out the area and know where the former President would be standing during his speech. He also needed to have great timing.
That day was another sad day in our history. It’s sad to think that being a part of history might have been one of the shooter’s goals.
I would imagine this will be yet another event that will prompt gun control conversations. Before that happens I hope we all take some time to realize the seriousness of this attempt. We can be thankful there weren’t more people seriously injured, and pray for the families of those who were injured or killed.
Have A Good Week!
