The assassination attempt on former President Trump was a shocking turning point in an already intense and emotional election cycle.
We still don’t know the shooter’s motive. We may never know because he’s dead, but it could be anything. For example, we know that John Hinckley shot and killed President Ronald Reagan in 1981 because he wanted to impress celebrity Jodie Foster.
But the conversation about what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, very quickly turned to politically motivated threats of violence, which, according to recent polls, were already on the rise with Americans’ support for violence as a political strategy.
It’s horrific and completely unacceptable. And while the call to “lower the temperature” is important and welcome, we need to be more specific about what that means. We need to do more to reduce the risk of political violence in society, and here are five ways to get started.
- Protect democracy.People who believe that representative democracy works for them and their families do not resort to violence. That means protecting the right to vote, because the right to vote and the conviction that voting matters are the best antidotes to political violence.
- Defend freedom of speech and freedom of learning. Censorship, book bans, and press freedom violations will be counterproductive. Suppressing the press and dissent does not create peace. Instead, it creates a climate of passionate anger. We need strong, even heated, political discourse in a healthy democracy.
- Persuade, don’t incite hatred.We can and should distinguish between candidates’ visions of America. It’s okay to say you think an idea is terrible. But calling people “animals” and using words like “bloodlust” to conjure up apocalyptic imagery turns political rallies into a version of George Orwell’s “Two Minutes of Hatred” from “1984.”
- Limits the means by which violence can be exercised.America is full of guns, and we need common-sense gun safety reform. It has been true for years that there are more guns than people in America. Shockingly, recent studies show that gun owners are more likely to support political violence than non-gun owners. As the saying goes, do the math.
- Improve access to mental health services.Sometimes politicians are attacked for their beliefs. And sometimes they are targets of opportunity for unstable people who don’t care what their position is. One study found that more than half of people with mental illness in the United States do not receive treatment at all. We need to do a better job of providing treatment before people harm themselves or others.
The appropriate authorities will conduct a thorough investigation to determine what security vulnerabilities contributed to the shooting on July 13.
Meanwhile, some of the priorities outlined above could be advanced through legislation currently pending. For example, Congress should pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Promotion Act and the Voting Freedom Act.
Unfortunately, we are actively moving backwards in other areas. Gun safety is one of them. The Supreme Court’s disastrous ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen paved the way for a nationwide loosening of gun laws.
As Americans who cherish freedom of speech and political dissent, we have always faced a balancing act: Healthy debate and political expression must continue, but we cannot foster chaos.
At the same time, the risk of violence could lead to overzealous government censorship or self-censorship out of fear. We cannot allow that to happen.
Let us pray that the aftermath of July 13 will be a renewed commitment to ending political violence. We know that freedom comes with responsibility. Let us take concrete steps to make this country a safer place for open and honest advocacy and debate that strengthens our democracy. Otherwise, we risk losing everything.
Svante Myrick is the president of People for the American Way.
