A Virtual Church

Our life with violence

July 26, 2024

The recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life is a sad reminder of the violence we have lived with for years in the United States. Lynchings, school shootings, bombings - you name it, we’ve done it. That was especially true in the violence on January 6th at the US Capital. Have we normalized violence as “just the way it is?”
 
In the recent case, another lone wolf, disgruntled or mentally unstable, with a high- powered automatic assault weapon staked out and took aim on the former president from a rooftop just outside the perimeter of security protection. Failures of security, along with the presence of high-powered weaponry were a deadly combination in Butler, Pennsylvania. 
 
One life was lost in the shooting, two were critically injured and Mr. Trump was grazed by a bullet on his ear. Thankfully, the shooter was taken down before the number of casualties rose. This is not a Democrat problem. It is not a Republican problem. It is a uniquely American problem. And it is a problem that lies at the feet of all those who appear unwilling to see that guns kill people in this country at a rate higher than any other country on earth. 
 
It will be interesting to learn more of this young man as his social media and habitat are examined for clues as to the motive of this shooting. We never really know what is in the heart of men and women and why they would risk their own lives to make some kind of statement or point. I suppose infamy calls when all other recognition fails. At age 20, this young man had hardly given life a try. Now he will be remembered as just another shooter ripping the fabric of our country one shot at a time. 
 
Every time I write about gun control and lack of mental health resources, I awaken those who must live with such fear they have gun safes on reenforced subfloors in their homes. They defend having guns enough to field a small militia, which just might be the point. I read and re-read the second amendment. It is about a well-funded and equipped militia. It’s a muskets-for-all amendment. 
 
This is when originalism fails us. Since the second amendment was written in December of 1791, the gun world has changed markedly. The Gatling gun, a rapid-fire gun, was invented in 1861 by Gates County native Richard Jordan Gatling. The Gatling gun could fire up to 200 rounds a minute. Variations of the Gatling gun have been used in arsenals for wars even to Viet Nam. Gatling’s gun is considered a prototype for automatic weaponry that was issued to American soldiers fighting WW1 in 1916. 
 
Automatic guns have always been developed for use in wars. Historians say Mr. Gatling hoped his invention would dissuade people from waging war. He saw the devastating effects the automatic weapon could inflict. It is said that Oppenheimer had the same feeling about the incredible killing power of nuclear weapons and force to destroy the planet. We know guns and nukes are for killing purposes. Sport is a sidebar.
 
Recently, when SCOTUS rescinded the restriction on bump stocks, the door for creating even more damaging weapons opened more widely. People say if we just enforced the laws that are already on the books some of this violence could be curbed. We seem at cross purposes when the Supremes open the floodgate and widen the risk to the general public, while people of good faith are calling for greater control. Perhaps the former President’s shooting will prompt us to work for real change in gun laws and gun control. 
 
Melania Trump wrote a letter on X in response to the assassination attempt on her husband. It is a call to unity and love. She writes, “We are all humans and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness, and empathy are necessities.” She closes by saying, “Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.” No one can disagree with her sentiment.
 
Tempers need to cool. Words soften. Judgment measured. And we need to come to grips with the fact that automatic weapons have no place in our ordinary life. 
 
We all pray for the healing of Mr. Trump and peace for the families who grieve. Hatred that chooses violence to express itself has no place in America. 
 
Lib Campbell is a retired Methodist pastor, retreat leader, columnist and host of the blogsite www.avirtualchurch.com. She can be contacted at libcam05@gmail.com