Trump blames Kamala rhetoric for 2nd assassination attempt as Democrats blame him for Haitians in Ohio https://t.co/3YorOsy2TC
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 17, 2024
The second would-be presidential assassin in just two months should never have possessed a firearm because of his status as a convicted felon.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, has an arrest history showing more than 100 contacts with law enforcement going back to the 1990s, which includes both felony and misdemeanor convictions.
Routh reportedly smiled and laughed while walking into federal court for his arraignment Monday morning. He was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. However, prosecutors have empaneled a federal grand jury and are pursuing more serious charges.
Routh’s criminal history shows an arrest in 2002 for what North Carolina officials described as a “weapons law violation” and “terroristic threats.” He was convicted for possessing a “weapon of mass destruction,” which officials have not yet fully explained.
In 2010, Routh was convicted of possessing stolen property, which was used as the basis for Monday’s felon-in-possession charge.
These multiple felony convictions should have precluded Routh from ever owing a firearm, but like most gun control laws, did nothing to stop him from reoffending.
Routh’s most recent address was in Hawaii, where he reportedly owned a company that manufactured storage sheds. How he obtained the scoped 7.62x39mm rifle allegedly found at the crime scene in Florida, possibly a Samozaryadny karabin sistemy Simonova or SKS, is not known. It would have been extremely difficult for Routh to transport the weapon from Hawaii, and it should have been illegal for him to purchase the weapon in Florida.
There are several techniques FBI or ATF criminalistics technicians can use to “raise” an obliterated serial number on a firearm, but as of Monday, no tracing information has been made public.
Known to law enforcement
Most of Routh’s criminal history took place in North Carolina, but he was likely known to law enforcement officials in Hawaii, too.
A Hawaiian man told CNN Monday Routh threatened him in an email following a business dispute by claiming he’d fought Russians in Ukraine.
“I kind of decided maybe I should just let it go for the sake of my family,” the businessman said.
Routh’s social media posts, most of which have been scrubbed, indicated he may suffer from some type of mental illness.
Routh visited Ukraine in 2022 and later tried to recruit veterans to fight against the Russian invaders, even going so far as to claim he was a secret agent for the Ukrainian government. Ukrainian Army spokesman, Oleksandr Shaguri, told CNN Monday that Routh claims were “delusional ideas.”
Recruiting foreign fighters on American soil should have brought Routh to the attention of the State Department, if not the FBI, which as of Monday, has not issued any statements about Routh, his foreign recruitment attempts or his interaction with federal law enforcement.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an emailed statement that the Justice Department “will work tirelessly to ensure accountability” and will “bring every available resource to bear in this investigation.”
Good guy with a gun
To be clear, Routh illegally possessed a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which he never should have been able to purchase or possess. However, he was able to obtain the weapon, conduct surveillance and establish a sniper’s hide with ballistic protection – he had several bags containing ceramic tile – within 300-500 yards of his target, President Trump.
Routh wasn’t stopped by federal gun-control laws. His murderous plans were only thwarted because he poked the rifle’s muzzle through a chain link fence, which was spotted by a federal agent who quickly fired several rounds. Routh was not hit, but he dropped his weapon and fled.
Like the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, this latest assassination attempt raises a multitude of questions, which the Secret Service or FBI may never answer.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has had enough.
DeSantis announced on social media Monday that “The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club.”
“The people deserve the truth about the would-be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee,” DeSantis said on X.
his story is presented by the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project and wouldn’t be possible without you. Please click here to make a tax-deductible donation to support more pro-gun stories like this.
About Lee Williams
Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer,” is the chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.
Just another crazy demoCRAP standard bearer. Why wasn’t he in jail for his previous convictions? Seems like he should be servering at least 20 years.
Violated? But…..he’s a Dem! They are immune. Just like Bill Ayers (0bama’s terrorist friend) and Bernardine Dohrn who together (along with others) responsible for bombings of the United States Capitol, the Pentagon, and several police stations in New York, as well as the Greenwich Village townhouse explosion that killed three of their Weather Underground comrades.
If you or I had done ANY of this, we would never see the light of day again, but, Dems have the “terrorist get-out-of-jail FREE” card.
Don’t forget Obama commuting the sentences of Oscar Lopez-Rivera and Chelsea Manning.
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/pardons-granted-president-barack-h-obama-2009-2017
You mean Bradley Manning…
Absolutely. But Obama used the given name Chelsea so it was more accurate to use it in the reference. The DoJ makes it near impossible to find the clemency for the two. I found a reference to the FOI requesting it (they are together), FOIA 2017‐266283, but an attempt to download the warrant gives the message that Adobe Acrobat can’t open it because the file is “damaged”. Yeah. I bet.
That’s right. Liberal heavyweights like Hillary Rodent Clinton, Maxine Waterbag and Geraldo will be demanding a whole new world of gun control. If liberals can force harassment gun control many Americans will deem the 2A as too much trouble. Too much chance of scrambling with the cops. But if relentless marathon gun control can discourage even one American from 2A participation, liberals triumph!
Hee haw Harris said this is just the kind of person that she wants to work on her campaign!
It seems that progressives want to make immorality illegal. Though that sounds like a good idea, they should be very careful as that would make the majority of them criminals. It’s just so much easier to go after the guns. Fault the hammer, not the carpenter.
As noted here: “Routh illegally possessed a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which he never should have been able to purchase or possess”. The accused also resides in Hawaii, a state with the hands down strictest firearms ownership regulations. For him to purchase legally from FFL dealers anywhere in the US, he would need IDs, whether he had them (if so, most likely illegitimate) has yet to be determined (or disclosed by authorities). Nevertheless, he was dangerously armed and hellbent for mayhem. The black market in guns most likely was his source. This is, and will always be, the… Read more »
He must have numerous ID, as it said he traveled to the Ukraine.
Perhaps he got guns there and brought them back to USA?
Grassy Knoll part trois.
glad the new crop of demoncrats cant shoot,
Routh’s Initial Support for trump as a republican.
In the beginning, Routh had stated that he had supported Trump in the 2016 election. At the time, Trump’s campaign won him a wide variety of followers and propelled him to the president. But by 2020, Routh’s perspective on Trump had clearly soured.
Did Ryan Wesley Routh Vote For Trump In 2016? Here’s What He Claimed On Social Media (msn.com)
Snicker,
Tina Peters guilty: Former Mesa County clerk convicted on 7 charges (cpr.org)