OKLAHOMA CITY – On Saturday, July 13,the world stopped as we saw the images of an assassination attempt on the life of a former President who is running for that office once again.
Former President Donald Trump narrowly escaped serious injury or even death by mere millimeters when a bullet went by his head, leaving a nick in his right ear, leading to a bloody image captured by the media as Secret Service agents took him to safety.
Two spectators at the rally in Pennsylvania were critically injured, while a former fire chief from the area, Corey Comperatore, was killed as he shielded his family from the attack. I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to each who was impacted by this terroristic act.
There are certain memories which spark a “where were you then” moment, no matter what age you are. On March 30, 1981, I was sitting in a classroom when news traveled around the school that newly elected President Reagan had been shot. As he was leaving a meeting, John Hinckley, Jr. fired at the President and his security team. Reagan was wounded, along with Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy, and policeman Thomas Delahanty.
The would-be assassin got off six shots in 1.7 seconds. It was discovered that Hinckley was suffering from severe mental illness, compounded by a lack of sleep and the effects of medication, on the day he shot President Reagan. To this day, I still remember my shock and sadness as a 10-year-old that this could happen.
We still do not know much about the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, or why he did this. Reports say he was a high school graduate, a registered Republican who had donated $15 to a liberal group during his high school years and was an enthusiast of shooting sports. In strange irony, he had tried out for the school’s rifle team but was turned away because he was a bad shooter. In an interview with another student at the time, Jason Kohler, he said that Crooks was bullied in school. He sat alone at lunch time and other students mocked him for the clothes he wore, which included hunting outfits.
I do not say any of this to build any sympathy for him, but facts need to be known to find ways to prevent future such attacks. Unfortunately, his tale sounds too familiar when compared to other shooters over the past two decades who had similar stories – bullying, mental health concerns, and isolation.
Following this, I fear for our nation and what might lie ahead. Just like every other similar situation, people will point to a variety of responses, such as mental health program expansion, improved school counseling services, changes in gun laws, increased security standards and many other points. The problem is that nothing substantial ever seems to happen.
“Lone wolf ” shootings have become so commonplace in our society, that now it seems most officials respond with a statement for “thoughts and prayers” for the victims, and then nothing else.
It is time for that to change. I hope that following this, voters will demand that politicians at all levels call for real and substantial support services to help lessen the risk of emotional issues escalating with young Americans, and this time officials deliver on it. Prevention standards need to be seriously reviewed and resources adequately delivered to schools and families in need.
Many other actions obviously also need to happen, but this is a starting place. I hope in November, whoever wins in whatever office, that this shooting serves as more than just a footnote in history, but instead a rallying cry for preventive support services for all ages.
