1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,599 Speaker 1: Trump, as you will know by now, has been shot 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,440 Speaker 1: in an assassination attempt, the first on a current or 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:09,039 Speaker 1: former president since nineteen eighty one, when Ronald Reagan was 4 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: shot just two months after being sworn in the government. 5 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Has been identified as twenty year old Thomas Crooks. He 6 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: was shot dead on site. US President Joe Biden has 7 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: spoken to Trump, and Biden's campaign has suspended all attack 8 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: ads following the attempted assassination. Joining me now from California 9 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: is US presidential historian Alan Lightman. Alan, thank you very 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: much for being with me. What generally happens? I mean, 11 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: there have been lots of attempts and some of them 12 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 1: successful in the past. What generally happens after something like this? 13 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: Is there more bloodshed? Does the temperature go up even further? 14 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: I think we may have lost Allan there. We'll come 15 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: back to him, Alan, can you hear me? Okay? I'm 16 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: just asking what generally happens after an attempt like this? 17 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 2: Yes, As I said, political violence has been endemic in 18 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 2: modern America. You know, seven years ago, Republican Representative Scalise 19 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 2: was shot. More recently, there was this horrific hammer attack 20 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 2: on the husband of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 21 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,839 Speaker 2: The attacker was trying to kill Pelosi. And of course, 22 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:27,679 Speaker 2: the worst example of recent political violence was perpetrated by 23 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 2: Donald Trump himself, inciting the January sixth insurrection, sitting for 24 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 2: three hours and letting the mayhem take place, ignoring his 25 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 2: own supporters telling him to stop inciting the rioters by 26 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 2: an inflammatory tweet about Vice President Mike Pence when they 27 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 2: were shouting hanging Mike Pence. The violence resulted in injuries 28 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 2: to more than one hundred and forty police officers and 29 00:01:54,760 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 2: several direct or indirect deaths. Now, the question is will 30 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 2: this attempt further polarize the country or can it possibly 31 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 2: bring us together? There is a positive model. You mentioned 32 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 2: the shooting of Ronald Reagan in nineteen eighty one. His 33 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:20,079 Speaker 2: press secretary, a staunch conservative Republican, James Brady, was grievously wounded. 34 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 2: Instead of seeking revenge or attacking his political opponents, he 35 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 2: formed the Brady Campaign for Gun Control and for a 36 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 2: while brought the country together in an effort to stop 37 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 2: the epidemic of gun violence in America. We got the 38 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 2: assault weapons ban, which sadly has been suspended, and by 39 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 2: the way, The weapon that was used in this assassination 40 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,240 Speaker 2: attempt and the killing of an attendee was an assault weapon. 41 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 2: We got the Brady Bill on background checks, but unfortunately 42 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 2: there's been no progress since then. And could we now 43 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 2: come together and stopping gun violence, which is a major 44 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 2: course of the deaths of our children. An American overall 45 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 2: is twenty times, not twenty percent, twenty times more likely 46 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 2: to be killed murdered by a gun than residents of 47 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,920 Speaker 2: our closest pure countries, which also have mental health and 48 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 2: drug problems. The difference is guns. Can we replicate what 49 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 2: James Brady did? 50 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 1: Ellen The October poll by the Public Religion Research Institute 51 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 1: and the Brookings Institution found that one in four Americans 52 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: agreed with this sentence, true American patriots may have to 53 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: resort to violence in order to save our country. So 54 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: that was thirteen percent of Democratic voters and thirty three 55 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: percent of Republicans who agreed with that. How do you 56 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: navigate an election cycle when you've got people with such 57 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: extreme views. 58 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 2: It's very sad, and that's why we have so much 59 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 2: endemic political violence. And the only answer is to do 60 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 2: what James Brady did. Organized, organized, persuaded vote for those 61 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 2: who are willing to deal with gun violence. It's a 62 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 2: very difficult issue because the gun lobby, the gun manufacturers 63 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 2: have a death grip on so many of our politicians. 64 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 2: But if the movement gains momentum as well, it should 65 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 2: because the majority of Americans, how overwhelming majority of Americans 66 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 2: believe in reasonable gun control. So if you can get 67 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 2: a political movement going, I wrote a whole book about 68 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 2: this repeal the Second Amendment, the Case for a Safe 69 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 2: for America. We're not going to get a repeal of 70 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 2: the Second Amendment. But if we get a movement going, 71 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,839 Speaker 2: that's how change occurs. That's how you've got the great 72 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 2: civil rights initiatives of the nineteen sixties. 73 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: For example, Allan, thank you very much for your time 74 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: this morning. That is out of California, US presidential historian 75 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: Alan Lightman. The time is for more from News Talks 76 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: ed B. Listen live on air or online, and keep 77 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: our shows with you wherever you go with our podcasts 78 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:16,359 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.