A Word On The Shooting In Pennsylvania

crime scene tape with red and blue lights behind it — image via Pixabay

I had another post for today: a political one, in fact. I’ll get around to that later.

I just want to say that I am watching the news coming out of Pennsylvania with shock and horror.

I am devastated that at least one person is dead. I’m very sad that it happened in a part of the state of Pennsylvania I know and love so much. Political violence is absolutely never the answer. We should condemn whoever did this, the same as every other coward who resorts to assassination attempts.

I pray for the bystander who’s apparently dead, and for the shooter themself who is reportedly dead, and for the other bystander who is reported as I write this to be in critical condition. I also pray that former President Trump recovers. Violence is always wrong.

Everything that was wrong in our country will be made worse for everyone by this act of cowardice.

I am asking all my readers to be very cautious about any information you share. The number of conspiracy theories I’m already seeing on social media is absurd. We have to keep cool heads right now. The truth of this situation will come out, and it’s probably just what it seems to be.

After you’ve seen a shocking and traumatic image, it is normal for your brain to try to make sense of it.

This is why it’s going to occur to you again and again that “something fishy is going on.” It has to me as well. I actually believed the “it was only a BB gun” speculation for a bit before I got better information. You’re going to hear a lot sillier things than that AND find them credible as the hours and days go on, because you’re shocked. If anything that isn’t as it seems happened, we’ll find out very soon. But the simplest explanation is that this was a fool with a gun trying to kill the former president. Try as best you can to keep a cool head.

Please don’t use this as an excuse to say asinine political things. Be better than the people who joke when a political rival is attacked. Be reasonable and compassionate. We are all going to need our reason and compassion.

I pray for our country as the situation progresses.

Mary Pezzulo is the author of Meditations on the Way of the Cross, The Sorrows and Joys of Mary, and Stumbling into Grace: How We Meet God in Tiny Works of Mercy.