Opinion | The attack on Trump and the consequences of gun addiction in America

We have now seen that even America’s most capable law enforcement officers cannot stop the bullets of someone determined to use a gun to make a terrible statement. This is not about mental health. This is about lawmakers recognizing the crisis, using common sense, and drafting laws that limit civilian access to high-powered weapons.

Eileen McClure Nelson, Burke

The shooting of Donald Trump — as well as the massacres of innocent children in our schools, the murder of innocent people during church services, and other horrific acts of violence across our country — underscores once again the urgent need for strong and effective gun control legislation. Unfortunately, some of the same members of Congress who are angry about the shooting of Mr. Trump also continue to block legislation that would make Americans less vulnerable to wanton shootings. All Americans, including Mr. Trump, have a right to protection from gun violence.

Franziska Rankin, Chevy Chase

As Independence Day celebrations across the country were winding down, my colleague thought of the three teenagers who were admitted to the children’s emergency room overnight for gunshot wounds. Less than two weeks later, a former President of the United States is now confronting a reality that millions of Americans are experiencing. While Donald Trump will receive even more protections in the coming days, as is to be expected, our children and communities are with us in our thoughts and prayers. We must do more.

As a pediatrician in training, I offer gun locks and safety tips to families at every well-child appointment. Despite our best efforts, firearm injuries remain the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States. Although we are constantly reminded of the political divides that seem to divide us, the events of the last week have shown that we are united in our concern when gun violence strikes the people we care about most. Without gun reform, it is clear that we cannot protect our children, let alone our former president.

Maybe Childish Gambino was right that this is America. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Laura Arvin, Philadelphia

It occurs to me that the focus by various media outlets on the possible failings of the Secret Service misses an important point. While security measures should be reviewed, should we take the opportunity to ask why weapons like the AR-15 are available to the general public in our country? This is just crazy!

Thomas J. Jeffers, Covert, Mich.

The shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday is clear evidence that AR-style rifles should be banned for all but military use. The 20-year-old shooter at the rally was 130 yards from the target. That’s longer than a football field.

An athlete should not have to be so far from his target and certainly no civilian should have to shoot someone from such a great distance.

If only Republicans could finally admit that AR rifles and semi-automatic weapons are not what the Founding Fathers meant by “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” They are not weapons of self-defense. Maybe, just maybe, now.

As political pundits and historians search for the root causes of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, they focus on the current political discord in the country. They try to compare it to other similar moments. That’s a mistake at this early stage, as we know little about the shooter’s political views and nothing about his motives. We do know that he was 20 years old, had graduated from high school, and used his father’s gun in the attack.

Perhaps we will eventually learn that his motives were not political, but similar to those of his predecessors, such as the shooter at the July 4, 2022 Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, all of whom were characterized by aimlessness.

The political problem most likely related to the attempted assassination of Mr. Trump is the widespread availability of guns in the United States. Only concerted political action in Washington can stop this endless drama.

Sidney Weissman, Highland Park, Illinois.

Rather than an ideological motive for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, it could be that this was just another lonely and mentally disturbed young man who saw his chance at fame and had easy access to a mass murder weapon to live out his fantasy. It could be that simple and tragic and have nothing to do with politics.

If that’s the case, then all the finger-pointing and soul-searching in the media is irrelevant nonsense. Instead, we’re dealing with the same old formula: mental disorder + inadequate gun control = disaster.

Ron Sheppard, Rochester, NH

It’s interesting that everyone thinks the gunman who shot former President Donald Trump must have had a political motive. I don’t think this sad young man had any ideology other than expressing personal fears and becoming famous. People who were interviewed about him described him as “intelligent, kind and polite,” a “calculative person.” I saw an interview on a news show with someone who went to high school with him who said he was a nerd and smart and “so he got bullied and everything, like kids do.”

Was the shooter essentially a classic school shooter, a young man who was seen as different and bullied because of it, but who chose a different target? This tragedy should serve as a reminder to politicians who put their views on Second Amendment rights above the safety of children that they, too, should consider restricting the easy availability of firearms in America.

Linda Falcao, North Wales, Pennsylvania.

As our political landscape becomes increasingly polarized, it is time to rediscover the art of balance. Our Founding Fathers recognized that balanced government is essential to prevent tyranny and ensure freedom. Yet we have forgotten this crucial lesson and allowed our political discourse to become a zero-sum game in which one side’s gains come at the expense of the other.

We must recognize that individual freedom and the common good are complementary aspects of a healthy society. The pursuit of happiness is not an individual project, but a collective endeavor that requires us to balance our individual aspirations with the needs of our community.

To achieve this balance, we need to engage in respectful dialogue, listen to opposing voices and find common ground through compromise and negotiation. We also need to demand more from our media and politicians, seeking diverse perspectives and fact-based reporting.

In addition, we must address systemic problems such as gerrymandering and voter suppression and promote education, critical thinking, and civic engagement. In doing so, we can build a society that truly reflects the wisdom of our founding principles, where individual freedom and the common good are balanced, and the dignity of every person is recognized.

Ronald Beaty, West Barnstable, Massachusetts.

The July 14 editorial, “What are we going to do, America?” includes the line: “Americans, what are we going to be? That is not the business of politicians or editorials. The responsibility lies with us as neighbors and citizens.”

Many of my neighbors and I have been fulfilling our civic responsibilities for over 50 years: organizing, joining, fundraising, writing, protesting and voting.

Yet, given the media ethos of “if it bleeds, it’s a headline,” our work sometimes seems pointless. Controversy sells. Clicks mean revenue. Outrage drives ratings, which supports and emboldens the worst of our politicians. What has our work accomplished? Our efforts as responsible citizens are chaff in the whirlwind you sow.

This pious editorial adds insult to injury.

We will continue together, because hope dies in isolation. We know that citizens are doing just that. Media professionals should be aware of their professional responsibility and do their part.

George Gates, Greensboro, North Carolina (state)

I was nine years old and had just come home from the movies when I heard newsboys shouting “Extra! Extra!” Pearl Harbor had been bombed. The whole country was united. The July 14 editorial, “What are we going to do, America?” laid the cards on the table and called on Americans to use this tragedy to reorient their values. As Walt Kelly’s comic strip Pogo once put it, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Paul Schoenbaum, Richmond