Some Guy Who Voted For Him Seems To Have Wanted To Assassinate Trump... But Didn’t

What Will It Take For The U.S. To Ban Assault Weapons?

Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58 year old construction worker, got to a fence within 400 yards of Señor T’s at his West Palm Beach golf course yesterday. The Trump campaign immediately dubbed it an assassination attempt and the Secret Service and the FBI seem to have acquiesced, although the only shots fired were at the gunman, none from the gunman, who was carrying an AK-47-style semi-automatic rifle with a scope, as well as a Go-Pro camera.

A Secret Service agent fired at the gunman who escaped in his SUV but was arrested 45 minutes later on the northbound I-95 in Martin County. There’s a lot of contradictory and unconfirmed information floating around. Routh is from North Carolina. Routh is from Hawaii. Routh voted for Trump in 2016, backed Ramaswamy this year and voted in the Democratic primary this year… although he’s registered as an unaffiliated voter. Routh fought against Russians in Ukraine— or was working providing humanitarian aid there. Or, as seems most likely, this was delusional fantasy. Same for Routh recruiting Americans who had fought in Afghanistan to go fight in Ukraine.

Routh’s adult son, Oran, spoke briefly to the media, saying “Ryan is my father, and I don’t have any comment beyond a character profile of him as a loving and caring father, and honest hardworking man. I don’t know what has happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little I’ve heard it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent. He’s a good father, and a great man, and I hope you can portray him in an honest light.”

The BBC reported this morning that “Records show Mr Routh’s legal issues go back to the 1990s, including lesser charges writing bad cheques, according to CBS. Routh was charged and convicted of numerous felony offences in Guilford County in North Carolina between 2002 and 2010, CBS reported. In 2002, he was charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction. In another incident, records show him being charged with misdemeanours including a hit-and-run, resisting arrest, and a concealed weapons violation. His alleged offences also include driving with a revoked licence, possession of stolen property, and hit-and-run with a motor vehicle. Former neighbour Kim Mungo, who describes Routh as a ‘sweetheart,’ said federal agents once raided Routh's property. She alleged that he used to keep ‘loads of stolen property and stuff’ at his home. And she said she saw Routh and his family firing guns in the open.”

As for banning assault weapons again… HA! Even if high-profile figures like Supreme Court justices, the NRA head or Trump himself were killed by gun nuts, it’s uncertain that such events would trigger an assault weapons ban. The U.S. political system is virtually controlled by entrenched lobbying power from the gun industry and ideological divisions around gun rights. While public opinion is already in favor of stricter gun control, including bans on assault weapons— with around 60-70% support— legislative action remains immobile due to political gridlock, powerful interest groups and court rulings defending broad Second Amendment rights. At best, a series of highly publicized attacks might shift the balance, at least in terms of political rhetoric and public debate. But, systemic change would still need to overcome deep institutional barriers, lobbying power and right-wing resistance, particularly in the current makeup of the Supreme Court.