Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassin's bullet ("The Crises We Face," July 18). Some GOP congressmembers immediately blamed President Biden for provoking the attack. His sin: using the phrase "put Trump in a bullseye" in a phone conversation, a phrase he intended to mean his campaign should focus on Trump.
Most people would interpret this idiom as Biden intended, but the GOP congressmembers wanted to imply Biden and the Democrats had evil intentions. Biden apologized and said he had made a mistake; he hadn't meant to incite violence.
During the Jan. 6 insurrection, protesters shouted, "Hang Mike Pence," while others directed threats at Nancy Pelosi. Clearly their shouts were not idiomatic; they were calls for violence.
Of course the GOP is being disingenuous here. You haven't heard many complaints from them concerning Jan. 6 or the promise candidate Trump has made to "free" the incarcerated "patriots" from that day.
One might ask why the GOP hasn't now sought an assault rifle ban. What greater motivation could there be for the GOP to consider one than having your presidential candidate nearly assassinated by such a weapon?
The answer: The NRA and the Second Amendment carry greater weight than common sense, especially in an election year.
Sherman Schapiro, Eureka