6 events in Passaic County with a date

Welcome to war between First, Second amendments

By: Mike Kelly
columnist
USA Today

..... In light of the latest attempted assassination of President Donald Trump - the third in less than two years - it's time for America to face a terrible fact of life: This nation is at war with itself.
..... On one side is the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of express yourself, freedom to assemble and freedom to worship without having to watch your back. On the other side is the Second Amendment, which has allowed for our nation to have more guns than people - and, even worse, continues to make it easy for the angriest of us to obtain.
..... So far, the Second Amendment is winning.
..... If you doubt this, just go to a Broadway show, a concert, a sporting event. All bags need to be inspected. Or take a trip on a plane. Shoes and belts need to be removed, not to mention bags inspected. Or wander pas a synagogue or Jewish school these days. Often standing outside is an armed security guard. Indeed, try visiting any school. The doors are locked. Even some jewelry stores or other boutiques lock their doors and allow customers to enter only after a clerk has a chance to eyeball them. What's next? Metal detectors at restaurants and grocery stores?
..... America is on lock-down - and for good reason. simply pout: Too many disturbed people have carried out their rage by shooting u0p all manner of public events, from concerts and store to political gatherings and services at houses of worship - what law enforcement experts now describe as "soft targets."
..... We all know the military. to live in America during the last half-century is to know about a long list of blood-soaked mass shootings and shocking body counts. Sixty dead at a music festival. Forty-nine at a gay disco. thirty-two on a university campus. Twenty-six at an elementary school. Twenty-six at a Baptist church. Twenty-three at a cafeteria. Twenty-one at a McDonald's. twenty-three at a Walmart. thirteen at a high school. thirteen more at an army base. Twelve at a city hall. Eleven at a synagogue. Ten at a grocery store.
..... Dear reader, you know the toll. the announcement of yet another mass shooting, which the FBI defines as three persons killed and the Gun Violence Archive defines as at least four people shot, has become as common in our daily news cycle as a morning weather report. On any given day in America, at least one mass shooting takes place. the nation is numb.
..... The toll extends far beyond so-called shootings with multiple victims. Increasingly, public officials have been targeted. In Arizona, a Democratic congresswoman was shot in the head and permanently disabled during a meet-and-greet session at a grocery store. In New Jersey, a federal judge's son was shot at home when he opened the door. In Utah, a conservative advocate was killed during a campus speech. In Minnesota, a state lawmaker and her husband were shot at their home and another state lawmaker was badly wounded. a prominent Republican congressman was shot with several others, while practicing baseball, by a gunman carrying an assault rifle with two 40-round magazines.
..... The safety concerns are now so profound in Congress that the U.S. Capitol police report that numerous members of Congress wear bulletproof vests when they appear in public. Can anyone blame them?
..... Meanwhile, Trump has survived three attempted assassination plots. The U.S. Secret Service lists at least a dozen serious threats against President Barack Obama, including a gunman firing shots at the White House when Obama's daughter was inside.
..... How does this pathetically tragic narrative improve life now in America? Can anyone seriously argue that the increasing toll from gun violence on ordinary citizens and public officials has not hampered day-today activities in what is believed to be the world's most wealthy, free and sophisticated nation? Just as alarming: Can anyone seriously argue that the torrent of political hate speech from both sides that has worsened amid the violence has improved our public discourse?
..... I've raised such questions in scores of columns. and each time, the response is the same. The gun rights advocates email their long screeds in which they claim that they "need" their guns to protect themselves. Inevitably, they add a story or two about crime victims who might have lived if they had been armed. The gun control advocates wring their hands, hold rallies, write letters to elected officials and tell stories of the victims while also failing to recognize the fact that not all gun owners are criminals. Indeed, when it comes to politics, both sides are uniquely adept at pointing the finger at the other side and uniquely inept at finding even the smallest patch of common ground.
..... Nothing changes - except the rising body count.
..... One key problem is that America has been captive to the same outdated gun laws since the days of muskets. At issue is that today's guns are far more advanced than muskets. Indeed, the weapon of choice for most would-be mass shooters is a semiautomatic rifle, pistol or shotgun that can rapidly fire a series of rounds in just a matter of seconds. America desperately needs to have a serious debate on why civilians should be allowed to own such weapons.

Dinner ends in chaos

..... On April 25, [2026] in a hotel in Washington, DC, we watched as yet another angry man with guns attacked what was supposed to be a peaceful assembly of 2,000 journalists and guests, along with some of the highest-ranking political figures running the nation, including Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Ironically, this event was organized to celebrate freedom of the press. It was also supposed to be an opportunity for the Washington media and Trump administration officials to set aside their political differences and actually speak civilly to each other.
..... The night ended, however, before the appetizers were finished.
..... A man identified by authorities as Cole Allen, a 31-year-old teacher form California who described himself in a 1,052-wod manifesto as a "friendly federal assassin," rushed past a security checkpoint. Officials said he was carrying a 12-gagug semiautomatic shotgun, a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol and four knives. he was also dressed in black. and beforehand, officials said, he made sure to take several selfie photographs of him with his arsenal.
..... In case anyone is wondering, officials say Allen purchased the guns legally in California, then carried them across America by riding an Amtrak train. He checked into the Washington Hilton hotel the day before the banquet.
..... As the banquet got underway and after Trump arrived, Allen reportedly left his room on the hotel's 10th floor and took the stairs to the lobby. From there, he ran through a security checkpoint and reportedly fired on burst of his shotgun, authorities said. A Secret Service agent answered with five shots - but did not hit the suspect. A Secret Service agent was struck in his bulletproof vest and was not seriously injured.
..... Luckily, Allen was wrestled to the floor before he could fire more shots, police said.
..... Now, the justice system rolls forward.
..... "Cole Allen now faces the full weight of federal justice," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in announcing that Allen was charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and transporting firearms and ammunition across state lines with the intent to commit a felony. he may face additional charges as investigators delve into his background. And if convicted, he'll likely spend most of his life in prison.
..... But there is a sad familiarity to this sooty already. It's the story of a lonely guy who gets angry and manages to get his hands on guns. And the best that America can do is to set up metal detection machines and check bags and equip police with military-style uniforms, thick body armor, high-powered weapons - even armored tank-like vehicles to respond when the chaos breaks loose. On April 25 [2026] at the Washington Hilton, some police were even decked out with the kind of night-vision goggles and machine guns that U.S. Navy SEALSs carry. Say goodbye to the friendly cop depicted in Norman Rockwell paintings. Cops now look like commandos.
..... Is this the kind of country we want?

Why can't we solve our gun crisis?

..... I am not the first to suggest that this nation needs to have a serious discussion about the kinds of firearms that are easily available and how America has responded by creating militarized police forces. I believe that it is impractical for the police to confiscate America's 350 million guns. But it is entirely practical and reasonable to ban military-style assault weapons for civilians. And it's entirely practical and resonance to put limits on the sale of bullets. After all, guns don't kill people: bullets do.
..... But America won't budge.
..... The gun advocates who march around so-called "open-carry" states with their AR-15 assault rifles over their shoulders and thee Glock pistols in quick-draw holsters insist they need guns to defend themselves. And the gun control advocates, as earnest and sincere as they try to be, still have no idea how to generate enough political support for serious gun control. Many have never o fired a gun. many look down on gun owners as moral ingrates.
..... Meanwhile, the rest of the country waits for the next "incident." We set up barriers outside office buildings. We install bulletproof glass on our schools. We watch as houses of worship are forced to hire armed "security teams" to protect people who merely want to pray.
..... Strangely, we still call ourselves free. We think we have the constitutional right to assemble, to speak our minds, to worship.
..... Think again. We may have our rights listed on paper. but real life with our metal detectors and bulletproof glass is another story. The April 25 [2026] visit by the "friendly federal assassin" was yet another warning of what we have become.
..... Luckily, no one was killed.

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