Mark Wahlberg as Bob Lee Swagger in The Shooter. If a 20-year-old untrained man could slip past the Secret Service with a rifle and take an open perch, someone with the skills of Wahlberg's character could wreak havoc.

It’s comforting to think that professionals and experts have a firm handle on the things we entrust them with. We want doctors who cure sickness, politicians who understand the issues and make informed decisions on our behalf and car companies that make safe cars for example. But, as one gets older, it doesn’t take very long to come to the conclusion that the experts in any field are struggling to get it right just like the rest of us. Medical malpractice, corrupt politicians and automotive safety recalls are all regular facts of life.

Sadly, most people apparently haven’t figured this out about public safety and emergency management agencies. Those of us who “back the blue” might even think they’re bordering on infallible, while many criminals think all police officers are expert marksman in peak physical condition. Experience at the range watching police shoot and the emergence of body cam videos on the internet have shown us all that some local cops are pretty far below average, but there’s still a myth out there that the U.S. Secret Service is a much more high-end agency that doesn’t make those kinds of rookie mistakes.

Hollywood has helped to perpetuate that myth. When we see the agency and its job portrayed on screens big and small, it appears that the Secret Service has all of the high points covered out to hundreds if not over a thousand yards away from the people they protect, especially when it’s the president or a presidential candidate. To beat them and get a bullet anywhere near POTUS, you’d have to be even better than Bob Lee Swagger, right?

But, recently a kid who wasn’t an expert of any kind shattered that myth. At a distance of only around 125 or 200 yards (the larger number coming from the former head of the Secret Service), he got past all of the security with a rifle and managed to almost kill a former president and current presidential candidate for a major party. Had he been a little less distracted or a slightly better shot, we would be facing a funeral for President Trump at a minimum and civil conflict the likes of which have not been seen in some time.

Naturally, even Rep. AOC knows that this doesn’t match what any of us thought about the Secret Service. Instead of being solidly protected for hundreds of yards, the safety perimeter for this event was much smaller, leaving significant gaps in security that the shooter was able to exploit.

As the former head of the Secret Service says in the video above, the availability of personnel and funding is a factor when agencies determine where to set the perimeter. With unlimited funding, a giant Not-So-Secret Service could send hundreds of agents out to secure every high spot within a mile of the president and major party candidates and then pay endless overtime to state and local law enforcement to flood the zone with every cop wanting a few extra bucks willing to drive in. Heck, with unlimited money, the agency could pay double over time or even triple overtime to make sure every cop within 500 miles wants to go and cash in.

But, we don’t live in that world. Even the money printer has its limits. While every life is priceless in the eyes of the divine and even a sparrow’s death gets noticed, the federal government of the United States has to set a price on the life of everyone from park rangers to astronauts to the president and then make informed risk management decisions. It may sound cold-blooded, but it’s an unavoidable fact of life in a world that doesn’t provide the unlimited resources that would be needed for absolute safety.

With the illusion of absolute presidential security shattered and the security theater failing to protect beyond the real perimeter, there’s blood in the water. You can bet that there are unhinged sharks out there who smell this blood and think that maybe they, too, could shoot them a president or vice president. For a sick enough freak, it’s the ultimate big game tag.

With the truth out that the Secret Service is just winging it on a limited budget like the rest of us, it makes a lot of sense to move political rallies and other campaign events for all candidates indoors, or at least to a stadium with a raised rim on all sides. The agency is taking a lot of crap for recommending that, but it’s really the only way that the perimeter can truly be secured from rifle fire in the real world.

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70 COMMENTS

  1. Of course the “alternative lifestyle” dirty little scribbler/key-pecker/screen-tapper wants Trump to end his energetic, electrifying, massive outdoor rallies which permit crowds of 50k+.

    • Most football stadiums hold many more than 50,000, especially if you use the field. Most baseball fields have at least two high rise sections, and putting the speaker out in centerfield offers good protection from rifles. So please quit the insults; it adds nothing to the discussion.

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      • So we give our 1st amendment right. Except when it comes to h0.m0sexu.al pride parades. Just like in 2020 when the churches were forced to close.

        No I don’t think so.

        • edit
          So we give up our 1st amendment right??? No never.
          I’m glad a white liberal gay woman, “took her mask off,” and is suggesting that we give up a little of our freedom. In exchange for a little more security.

      • Those kinds of football fields are not everywhere, which is exactly why the Democratically controlled Secret Service want to limit Trump’s reach. This is very clear, as they have been ZERO TRANSPARENT about why they failed. I believe it was intentional.

    • “Most football stadiums hold many more than 50,000… “

      Yeah, but Trump is too cheap to rent a football stadium or other appropriate outdoor venue.

      He might actually have to pay the bill.

      And as a private citizen, Trump should be responsible for the extra security needed for his personal endeavor of candidacy.

      He should be required to pay any costs over and above the standard Secret Service protection for a retired president.

      But why bother, the deadbeat wouldn’t pay the bill because he never pays his debts.
      It’s all part of his Bigley hypocrisy and grift:

      “Why the Trump campaign won’t pay police bills
      Ten city governments from Arizona to Pennsylvania say the president’s political committee has stiffed them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
      by Dave Levinthal
      June 13, 2019

      “Do we love law enforcement or what?” President Donald Trump asked a cheering crowd during his “Make America Great Again” political rally Oct. 12 in Lebanon, Ohio.

      “Thank you, law enforcement!” the president later told officers, who he called “heroes.”

      But when Lebanon City Hall sent Trump’s campaign a $16,191 invoice for police and other public safety costs associated with his event, Trump didn’t respond. Trump’s campaign likewise ignored Lebanon officials’ follow-up reminders to cover the sum — one rich enough to fund the entire police force for nearly two days in this modest city of 21,000, between Dayton and Cincinnati“

      https://publicintegrity.org/politics/donald-trump-police-cities-bills-maga-rallies/

      • Bullshit! President Trump is too cheap to lease a football stadium? How many former presidents do you know that never accepted any pay as president? It went to charity! Trump should be able to speak at any venue he wants without fear of being assassinated by our government.

      • When the sitting President is running for President, does HE have to pay extra for additional Secret Service? NO. So what should Trump?

  2. We know why you want Trump to end his practice of holding outdoor rallies ie. to tamp down enthusiasm among his followers and make it harder for the curious to attend. Pull down your skirt your Democratic Party slip is showing.

    • The problem with Trump rallies is that it becomes too easy to believe ones own propaganda. 2020 and 2022 emphatically put paid to the idea that rally attendance is a predictive factor.

      “The Big Red Wave” enthusiasm did not result in a “Big Red Victory”, but the visuals of the rallies seduced so many to overlook the obvious; it is “who” counts the votes that ultimately matters. In 2022, the energy was fully on display, but the vote count doesn’t view energy, only ballots and ballot counters.

          • Kamala is already saying Trump wants a nationwide abortion ban when he has specifically said the states can decide what they want. That will be their new “very fine people” lie. Their followers are too ignorant to know the difference, as usual.

      • I’m sure the largest group in American history voted for Biden. Sarcasm. Biden has about as much charisma as a newspaper.

  3. Trump gets less security than POTUS. Clinton and Obama probably have even less. This seems so blatantly obvious it’s hardly worth commenting on. How many SS agents do people think there are anyway?

    • You are committing the same deadly mistake as the bean-counters and the former Director made.

      Security MUST be provided according to risk profile, NOT a title or a label.

      If they lock POTUS in a vault with only one key, you only need one person to guard him.

      If you allow the lowest person on the “protection totem pole” out to do a public meet and greet in a crime-ridden neighborhood, they need LOTS of agents.

      • They locked Epstein up for his own protection (most importantly as a witness who could ‘spill the beans’).

      • “Security MUST be provided according to risk profile“

        Trump should receive a Secret Service detail equivalent with other retired executives.

        But his decision to become a candidate for president does not suddenly incur a giant security debt on American taxpayers.

        • You think this is about money? Yeah, right. TFred is correct. That’s actually how they operate. It’s by risk, not title.

        • Would other retired executives have a stepped up security profile if there was a legitimate targeted threat to them? Or does Trump who has a credible threat from a foreign government somehow deserve less security.

          If Iran had been behind the attempt, what a propaganda victory it would have been for them. If any other former POTUS had that same threat profile they should have increased security regardless if whether the have a D or R in their name.

    • Where do “DOCTOR” Obiden, Hunter and Hunters “wife” (dintbats x3) fall in this priority for resources?

  4. “Had he been a little less distracted…”

    I’ve heard analysis that it was the local cop who stuck his head over the edge of the roof (and then quickly withdrew) that likely saved the President’s life. Once the would-be-assassin realized he was busted, he had to rush his shots, which took place almost immediately after that sighting.

    • The USSS was on the lookout for a professional assassin.

      The world is full of unpredictable amateurs.

  5. More of the finger pointing sloped roof run around. There were flashing neon lights that indicated the shot dead perp was not there to support electing DJT. It was no man power budget BS it was gross incompetence.

    TRUMP/VANCE 2024.

  7. This whole article is a fucking joke! Screw you for giving any of these agencies cover!

    • Is typical hackery.

      “limited resources” – yeah sure 10sec search – “The FY 2025 Budget includes $2.9B in net discretionary funding for U.S. Secret Service” That’s BILLION $. Not so limited

      • How much does a drone cost to surveil high points near the venue?

        Unless the drone operator was using it to perve at chicks.

        • A drone was within the shooter’s budget. If only they had not opened our borders to the world’s poor, we would’ve had enough money for a drone and an employee willing to survive a hot, slightly sloped roof.

    • So just who is it that is trying to cut the Secret Service budget?

      “If the Republican plan to cut FY24 federal spending to FY22 levels applies to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), we would witness increased drug trafficking, criminal activity, cybersecurity threats, wait times at airports and other ports of entry, and reduced funding to help our communities prepare for disasters. Ultimately, cuts in funding will force DHS agencies like U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Secret Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard to stop hiring personnel and abandon critical initiatives that ensure our domestic security,” said Homeland Security Subcommittee Ranking Member Henry Cuellar“

      Wow look, it’s Republicans in the House of Representatives!

      https://democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/proposed-house-republican-cuts-endanger-public-safety

      • LOL you mean programs the executive office deliberately redirected away from basic duties anyway?

  8. Lack of manpower or funding does not even begin to explain what happened at Butler. Full stop.

    I won’t comment on the relative safety of indoor vs outdoor facilities going forward, in part because riflefire is only one risk of many.

    Everything I read agrees – there were cops in the building, and around the building. Only the shooter was on the building. He was known to be there before Trump took the stage, and only opened up after Trump had been onstage ten minutes.

    Was the shooter was dead by the time Trump was swarmed by agents? Looks that way.

    ???

    Please put away the lipstick, it just annoys the pig.

  9. It is simple: Plenty of people saw the BG, yet only the select few ‘tried’ to confront him. We are in a free and open society, and spending a huge amount of money protecting anyone is a waste 99% of the time. The ‘elites’ should bear their cost. Venu changes, 100k officers, might lower the odds, but they do not prevent someone with half a brain from getting close enough. SS has the perfect game to print money, let a BG get close, and your director gets fired, but the budget will skyrocket. Lein units tend to be elite, fat ones not so much. The real problem is that the job falls to SS or LEOs. If there is a high risk, the SS should be the nearest field, and the local DOD units and NG should be the rest; they are already paid and have a duty.

    • “The ‘elites’ should bear their cost“

      Absolutely! Donald Trump is entitled to the same Secret Service protection equivalent to any other retired executive.

      But he should be responsible for the additional security required for his giant outdoor public events, it was his personal decision to become a candidate and the taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for the additional security at his campaign events.

      That is an expense that should be borne by the Trump campaign, not taxpayers.

      • Cool so the Biden, Harris, Clinton, Bush, and Obama coverage can be done away with as well and they can pay their own way. Your terms are agreeable.

        • coverage can be done away”

          Never suggested ‘coverage be done away with’, coverage should still continue but if a protectee decides to engage in a political campaign the additional security should be borne as a campaign expense.

          • Same for continuing coverage of no longer relevant politicians and family plans of course should cost extra regardless of who is in office it would only be equitable.

      • Translation. miner is frustrated that the kill shot missed and he would like to see it made easier next attempt.

        miner is a well known fascist. His take on the matter is to kill away your problems.

  10. It isn’t impossible or even that difficult to secure an outdoor event. All that is necessary is to erect visual barriers (such as the grandstands) in locations that will preclude direct, aimed fire at the podium from effective range. The SS does this very regularly for people that they are actually protecting rather than leading into the slaughter house. Sports stadiums are particularly easy to secure unless there are taller structures nearby.

    The SS should have recognized the roofs of nearby buildings as well as the water tower as prime locations for snipers. Aside from arranging the grandstands in a manner that obstructed direct fire from the most obvious sniper positions, they should have had their own snipers in those positions. In fact the local LEOs had been assigned to post snipers on that roof. However; it was to hot so they went inside from where they could peek out the windows. It appears that someone actually was on top of the water tower when the shooting started.

    This was at best a cluster fuark if not a criminal conspiracy to enable an assassination.

    • When you put a boss b— in charge thats what you get. Poor planning and no supervision. And DEI gals too short for the primary mission.

      If the primary body agents are not wearing hard plates can they effectively “take the round” for the protectee? Doubtful for a “real” sniper round. A 300WinMag or .50BMG would go thru the SS scrum, with their soft vests, and on thru the target.

      • Don’t get them started on .50 BMG. There has never been a murder committed with a .50 BMG rifle much less a cop killed with one. This includes the Waco raid where all of the BATFE agents were shot with .223 and thirty caliber rounds. These projectiles were consistent with the weapons employed by the BATFE sniper team that had been deployed at the “under cover house.”. These expert marksmen were miraculously able to fire three dozen rounds without hitting any of the Branch Davidians . With the exception of Winston Blake who was at the back of the building, all of the congregants who died in the initial raid were shot with 9mm, 147 grain hydroshocks.

    • “In fact, the local LEOs had been assigned to post snipers on that roof. However; it was to hot so they went inside from where they could peek out the windows”

      “a criminal conspiracy to enable an assassination“

      Good Lord, you’ve solved the mystery!
      This was a criminal conspiracy by the local police officers to ‘stand down’ and allow the assassination to move forward.

      Good work!

  11. Y’all know what’s gonna happen now, right? Every politician from the small town mayor to the self proclaimed VIP’s in Congress and various Departments and agencies is going to be screaming for their own private platoon of security forces at tax payer expense. And they will demand that normal citizens surrender anything more lethal than a Daisy BB gun.

  13. “he got past all of the security …”

    After being spotted by Secret Service, commented on, for at least 30 minutes before the first shot and before he even got on the roof. Then, after being seen climbing onto the roof and then after a dozen or more rally attendees pointed him out to police and Secret Service before the first shots

    …. then and only then did he get “past all of the security”

    a master of the stealth approach he was not, he was very obvious. In fact, this kid received more attention from Secret Service than any one else at the rally and he still got “past all of the security”

  14. the answer to securing presidential candidates is NOT to hide them away, it’s to kick the SS in the ass until they get their act together. They aren’t local cops, they are the best of the best at the federal level, with a budget to match. I am sure that Jennifer Sensiba wants Trump to stay home and stay off the camera until November, but this ain’t the place to be making that argument.

  15. Question for people who know more about law than I do: When does the SS “securing”/”sweeping”/etc. a private-citizen-owned building run up against 4A and 3A?

  16. Always overlooked is the fact that politicians are just a part of the populace, not royalty. Why should any of them be treated as more valuable than the rest of us? There are plenty of people available to fill-in for any politician who is forcefully removed.

    Politicians are merely a part of “We The People”, not “They the Anointed by God”.

      • “New slogan?
        Healthcare Secret Service protection is a right.”

        Good idea, but who has sufficient budget to cover everyone?

  17. Interesting choice of picture to go with the story. Li’l Marky-Mark cannot legally own/possess/shoot firearms because he once beat the everluvin’ shit out of 2 men for being Vietnamese in public. Yet he still makes millions in Hollywood using guns.

    • Didn’t know that. Not real surprising as he got his start in the world of thuggery. Wonder if he still has some gats though. Surely nobody would arrest lil’ marky (good name, i LoLd)

  18. My daughter’s recent college graduation was held in a big football stadium. I counted 4 overwatch teams on surrounding rooftops, plus several guys around the upper deck, and pairs of cops and a couple K-9 teams wandering all around. And still, we had a suicide. And a drug addled speaker.

    I am in no way giving even a particle of cover for the security debacle in Butler, but I am pointing out that any time you have a bunch of people assembled, there’s a pretty good chance that a Murphy may be among them.

  19. The libertarian presidential candidate doesn’t need secret service agents to protect him. He or she , is not a threat to the establishment.

    In fact they agree with most of the establishment. And on the areas where they disagree, [email protected] bu.tt s.ex and drugs will keep the libertarians largely quiet.

  20. With the truth out that the Secret Service is just winging it on a limited budget like the rest of us, it makes a lot of sense to move political rallies and other campaign events for all candidates indoors, or at least to a stadium with a raised rim on all sides.

    How about we make them actually do their job instead of winging it?

  21. Anything the left can try to derail the hated opponent is “fair game” huh?

    Stop Trump from utilizing one of his greatest campaign asset. Force him to use indoor venues then get them to “deplatform” him by putting pressure on them to deny him in as many areas as possible to lock him out.

    You leftists are all on the same page for sure.

    • “Stop Trump from utilizing one of his greatest campaign asset.”

      For Trump, big crowds are an aphrodisiac, and just as mind-altering. In 2020, Trump (and his supporters) believed large crowds at rallies were an indicator, if not proof, of inevitable victory. Something similar happened in the “red wave” of 2022.

      Overlooked was/is the J. Stalin principle, and Trump and followers ignored that.

      (anyone notice there are now only two check boxes below the comment box?)

  22. Stuff it, Sensiba. Trump on Truth Social:

    truthsocial dot com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112854644045221144

    “WILL BE GOING BACK TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, FOR A BIG AND BEAUTIFUL RALLY, HONORING THE SOUL OF OUR BELOVED FIREFIGHTING HERO, COREY, AND THOSE BRAVE PATRIOTS INJURED TWO WEEKS AGO. WHAT A DAY IT WILL BE — FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS.”

  23. I am no Trump fan (or Biden/Harris either), but Trump reaches the most potential voters at outdoor rallies. Apparently, TTAG didn’t think this one through. Why of course the Administration wants to stop outdoor rallies, but that is NOT their call. They failed miserably and we are still not told why and we will never be told why. I personally believe it was intentional, just the way Kennedy was killed by his own government, which explains why those papers will never be released ever. I am now through with you, the so-called Truth About Guns. Killing the RSS feed.

    • “…but Trump reaches the most potential voters at outdoor rallies.”

      Rallies don’t really mean all that much as regards “get out the vote”. Remember, Biden won by avoiding crowds and the media.

      Harris can win by staying hidden in the White House, or the Naval Observatory.

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