Editorial: Add political rallies to the places we aren't safe

Butler County has been Trump country from the beginning.

North of the Democratic island of Allegheny County, Butler County is not hesitant in its support of former president and GOP nominee Donald Trump.

In 2016, 66.7% of the county picked Trump over Hillary Clinton. In 2020, support barely wavered, dropping just a hair to 65.6%. Pennsylvania overall might have flipped for Joe Biden. Butler County didn’t budge.

That kind of support makes it the last place anyone would expect someone to shoot at Trump. But that is what happened at his rally July 13.

It speaks to the way violence infiltrates our safest spaces. It points out the holes in the barriers that should protect us — because there will always be holes.

Trump was not your average presidential candidate days away from being nominated at his party’s convention. He is a former president who has lived with Secret Service protection since 2016. Every room into which he walks has been vetted for safety.

The Butler Farm Show grounds were thick with federal agents, Pennsylvania state police, county sheriff deputies and local officers. If security can be measured in law enforcement professionals, it’s hard to imagine a more secure location.

But it wasn’t. Not only was the former president shot, but so were three local men. Corey Comperatore, 50, of Buffalo Township, was killed shielding his family from bullets. Jim Copenhaver, 74, of Moon, and David “Jake” Dutch, 57, of Plum, were critically injured and remain hospitalized in serious condition.

If Trump is not safe from gun violence, who can be?

It is a question that has been asked so many times. There is never a satisfying answer.

We are not safe shopping for groceries or going to the movies. We are not safe dancing at a club or having a drink. We are not safe at church or at temple. Children and teachers are not safe at school.

Trump should have been able to deliver his message to his supporters, and his supporters should have been safe hearing it. There is a way to maintain our rights while not putting our lives at risk doing something as simple as attending a speech at a fairgrounds on a hot summer Saturday.

If Butler County isn’t a safe place to do that, no place is. Every place should be.