The Donald Trump assassination attempt on Sept. 15, 2024, visibly altered Americans’ perceptions and opinions on gun violence due to the country’s acceptance of this brutality after the first assasination attempt. After the first assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, resulting in an injury on Trump’s right ear, America was in pure disbelief. However, after the second attempt, United States citizens are acting unphased and passive.
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, is currently in custody and appeared in federal court on Sept. 16, 2024, according to Fox News. Routh pointed a high-powered rifle from the tree line of the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach Florida, where former president Trump was golfing.
The amount of gun violence in America has risen significantly over the past few years, according to the Pew Research Center. The normalization of gun violence, considering the more frequent assassination attempts, has risen concerns within the United States, yet not much is being done to prevent this.
The second assassination attempt on Trump received little attention as if actively trying to kill political figures is an ordinary occurrence that the nation has just accepted. The gap between the media’s quality coverage of the incident and the nation’s tranquil reaction is very alarming and is contributing to a dangerous and controversial environment in America.
The normalization of assassination attempts and threats is concerning and instead of being ignored, should be recognized and addressed. As this unwarranted violence becomes more common, the United States as a whole is negatively impacted in terms of safety and government protection. As a country, we must come together and recognize that no matter who the person is and how much they are disliked, resorting to gun violence is completely unacceptable. Therefore, America should not be accepting of this behavior and prioritize providing attention to situations like these in order to prevent a violent and controversial society.
Photo credits: [Gun death rates ] by Wizmut is licensed under CC0
