What surprised me most about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump was not the fact that it had happened but what seemed like the genuine surprise that it had. Whether by divine intervention or bad shooting, Trump survived, though others weren’t so lucky.
The handwringing went on for days. “How could this happen in America” was a common theme along with strident statements that “there’s no place for violence in our public life”.
These sentiments, genuinely felt I’m sure, must surely come squarely into the category of the wilful suspension of disbelief. How could this have happened? The answer is simple.
All the ingredients were there, it was a question of ‘if not when’ they combusted. For the record, I have a great fondness for America, I’ve worked there, travelled extensively there, have American in-laws and many friends, but I simply don’t understand that wonderful country’s toxic relationship with guns.
How could America be surprised at the Trump shooting when mass school shootings are a regular occurrence, primary schools need armed guards, and the most common cause of the death of young children is gunfire.
The recipe for disaster that unfolded in Pennsylvania was simple. A raised mood caused by violent and intemperate rhetoric served to inflame the passions of a young male loner. The final ingredient was the availability of military-grade, high-velocity assault rifles.
Marginalised individuals
The profile of these shooters, whether in schools or other arenas is remarkably similar: young white men, often just out of school, loners who feel compelled to vent their rage on the world and, in doing so, claim their five minutes of infamy.
Every society has such marginalised individuals, but in the US they can get their hands on deadly weapons. Might it change, might the attack on Trump tip the balance? I doubt it.
A ban on assault rifles has been suggested again, but I suspect nothing will happen. On the face of it, there is absolutely no reason why such military-grade weapons should be in public hands. They are no use for hunting or target shooting, they are designed solely for killing people.
Their removal from the market would not contravene the sacred second amendment of the Constitution, the right to bear arms, it would only make sense, but I doubt it will happen.