To the Editor:aw8

Re “Trump Unharmed After Shots Fired at Florida Course” (front page, Sept. 16):

In the flood of commentaries responding to the recent assassination attempts, we read about the assailant, his location and public safety responses. Unfortunately, as after other similar incidents, two huge contributing factors are not discussed enough.

One is the plethora of guns, including assault rifles, that keep the gun death rates in the U.S. so far above other developed countries that have reasonable gun safety. The other is the promotion of disrespect and hatred toward those with whom we disagree, including spreading incendiary lies with impunity.

We need to acknowledge and grapple with these upstream factors, not just the downstream manifestations.

Gordon HarperChestnut Hill, Mass.

To the Editor:

After all these years of the Gun Owners Party promoting largely indiscriminate access to rapid-fire guns, how safe is it really for political leaders to campaign in America? After all, during the pandemic a lot of campaigning was done virtually. This assassination attempt comes right after the sickening spectacle of the Apalachee High School shooting.

If, as Donald Trump insists, the rest of the world is laughing at America, it is precisely because of this degree of gun insanity. Evidently the Robert A. Heinlein line that “an armed society is a polite society” was just one more lie that flimflam men like Mr. Trump and Wayne LaPierre, former head of the N.R.A., have sold to nearly half of American males.

Ron CharachToronto

To the Editor:

After this second attempt against Donald Trump, and the recent Georgia school shooting, will the Republican Party even now be willing to discuss safety measures to protect the public from the types of military-style weapons used in these crimes?

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