Concerns Over Mixed-Use Gun Ranges After Crooks Discovery

Concerns Over Mixed-Use Gun Ranges After Crooks Discovery

So, let me get this straight: a guy with suspicious behavior gets within firing range of former President Donald J. Trump, and only now are we scratching our heads about mixed-use gun ranges? You couldn’t make this up if you tried, folks.

Local police were on alert for a suspicious man before the incident, yet critical minutes ticked away, allowing a would-be assassin to get dangerously close. Former President Trump was allowed to take the stage for his speech despite reports of a suspicious person nearby. Just an hour before the shooting, law enforcement in Butler, Pa., identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspicious man, but somehow managed to lose him in the crowd.

“Twenty minutes before violence erupted, a sniper, from a distance, spotted Mr. Crooks again and took his picture,” reported the New York Times.

About an hour before the shots were fired, local police had already spotted Crooks among the rally attendees. Despite a sniper photographing him, the Secret Service did not prevent Trump from taking the stage.

Eight minutes into Trump’s speech, Crooks fired bullets, injuring Trump and killing a rally visitor. Two more rally-goers were also injured. A “nice flesh wound,” as some would call it, but the reality is far more sinister.

Now, the kicker: Crooks, the alleged assassin, had trained at a gun range frequented by DHS staff. This sort of overlap puts shared training spaces under a microscope, highlighting a glaring security gap. Federal employees and civilians using the same facilities? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

“Among the thousands of people streaming in to cheer former President Donald J. Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday, local officers spotted one skinny young man acting oddly and notified other law enforcement. The Secret Service, too, was informed, through radio communication. The suspicious man did not appear to have a weapon,” NYT continues.

Adding insult to injury, the Secret Service failed to stop Trump from going on stage, unaware that Crooks had a weapon. This hiccup underlines a crucial need for revisiting and perhaps overhauling current security protocols at mixed-use gun ranges.

Amidst the chaos, Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief, was killed protecting his family. His church issued a heartfelt statement:

“He was a local leader and veteran, a former fire chief, and a committed Christian who found peace and joy through our church. He loved and cared for us, his family,” the statement read, calling him a “beloved father and husband.”

The Secret Service is now under intense scrutiny for these security lapses, with some even calling for the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, citing issues that are as troubling as they are baseless.

“It is an insult to the women of our agency to imply that they are unqualified based on gender,” Guglielmi said in a statement. “Such baseless assertions undermine the professionalism, dedication and expertise of our workforce.”

Clearly, this incident has brought forward the urgent need to rethink how mixed-use gun ranges are managed. It’s a tragic yet enlightening moment that we can’t afford to ignore.

And there you have it, folks. Take a moment to let that marinate. Until then, stay vigilant and keep those eyes peeled—you never know who’s training at the next lane over.

Sources

  1. A Blind Spot and a Lost Trail: How the Gunman Got So Close to Trump
  2. Trump shooting investigations focus on motive, security failures
  3. Exclusive: Secret Service ramped up security after intel of Iran plot to assassinate Trump; no known connection to shooting
  4. Conflicting Accounts Emerge About Security at Trump Rally
  5. Grassley to DHS USSS – Trump Assassination Attempt
  6. FACT FOCUS: A look at false claims around the assassination attempt on former President Trump
  7. Three days after attempted assassination, Trump shooter remains an elusive enigma
  8. Secret Service faces serious questions about security footprint and rooftop access at Trump event
  9. Security concerns arise after shooting at Trump rally