by Jim Rickards, Daily Reckoning:
You’re receiving today’s issue early because it’s very important, and I want to make sure you didn’t miss it.
All Americans should be relieved and grateful that Donald Trump survived an attempted assassination at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
Elections should be decided at the ballot box, not through violence. Of course, there are many on the political left who celebrated the assassination attempt. Their only regret is that it failed. But most Americans are happy that the attempt failed.
We can only speculate about what might have happened if Trump were killed. It would be a very different America today. We could have seen outrage, riots and threats of reprisal. It’s frightening to contemplate.
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Let’s break it all down…
Trump was grazed by a bullet fired by the shooter Thomas Crooks. The shooter was killed seconds after shooting Trump, but not before firing multiple rounds at Trump and the crowd.
Our prayers go out to Corey Comperatore, a rally participant who was shot and killed by Crooks while trying to shield his family from the killer’s bullets. We also pray for Comperatore’s family and others critically wounded by the shooting.
We know some of the pertinent facts, but there’s far more we don’t know. The shooter used an AR-15-style rifle with 5.56 mm rounds and fired from an adjacent rooftop at a distance of about 150 yards.
The AR-15 is a highly accurate rifle, the 5.56 mm is a high-pressure bullet, and 150 yards is a relatively short distance for any experienced shooter. I’ve fired the same weapon with the same ammo at that distance. The rifle is accurate with low recoil. A longer-barrel sniper-type weapon is not needed to hit a target at that relatively short distance.
Trump was grazed in the ear by one bullet, which led to bleeding but miraculously was not worse. Still, the bullet came within a few millimeters of being a fatal headshot. Trump turned his head away from the shooter’s aim a split second before the bullet hit.
If Trump turned his head a split second earlier, the shooter could have adjusted his aim. If he turned his head a split second later, it would have been too late and the bullet would have penetrated his skull.
The resulting overpressure inside his skull would have likely resulted in a mortal wound, similar to the wound that killed JFK, which was put on graphic display in the famous Zapruder film.
Sadly, others were killed and critically wounded as Crooks continued to fire. Finally,a police sniper on a rooftop close to Trump shot Crooks in the head and he died on the scene with his murder weapon at hand.
Trump’s reflexes after being shot were remarkable. He ducked beneath the bulletproof podium for cover as Secret Service officers piled on top of him as human shields. Once the shooting stopped and the area was deemed clear, Trump got back on his feet looking disheveled and slightly dazed but still focused. As he was being escorted off the stage by the Secret Service,
Trump pumped his fist in the air and shouted, “Fight,” to the crowd. This was an amazing display of strength, courage and presence of mind and gave encouragement both to the rally attendees and a global TV audience.
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