# Companion Thread to Shots Fired at White House Correspondents' Dinner **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [April 26, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559 "2026-04-26T02:03:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/61 "2026-04-26T17:08:57Z")
As @doomtastic posted, then you’d just have a new perimeter. But I get your point. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/62 "2026-04-26T17:10:48Z")
> [@doomtastic](#): > > There’s no way to prevent people from having weapons outside the perimeter. You try looking like you even might have a weapon within a rather wide area around where the Secret Service is providing security and you’ll suddenly discover that there are at least two people that want to have a long talk with you. The perimeter is around the area that no one gets into unless they’ve been cleared. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/63 "2026-04-26T17:14:39Z")
Some background on the shooter from relatives. > # Details emerge of alleged shooter at White House correspondents’ dinner > > [Details emerge of alleged shooter at White House correspondents' dinner : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/26/g-s1-118807/trump-white-house-correspondents-dinner) Usually I quote a bit from an article when I post a link, but frankly this article is too boring to bother. * * * * * * * * * What I want is an explanation of this. I’ve lost my Twitter access, but here’s the link if someone else wants to pursue: > Screen grab: [![](https://i.imgur.com/g2vzK8j.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/g2vzK8j.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/64 "2026-04-26T17:17:26Z")
As a friend remarked to me (under his breath, thankfully) while we were navigating a huge crowd on the way from the parking lot to the security checkpoint at the local NFL stadium: “If I was a suicide bomber, I wouldn’t even worry about the security checks, because I could just blow myself up right here and kill a hundred people!” ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/65 "2026-04-26T17:20:05Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > You try looking like you even might have a weapon within a rather wide area around where the Secret Service is providing security Ok, and if I don’t do that? Seems like I could probably get… all the way to the checkpoint before I had a problem. But yes, I agree if I were to carry a sign saying “I am armed and demand to speak to POTUS immediately” I might not make it quite that far. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/66 "2026-04-26T17:20:51Z")
Well…if the only goal is death and destruction and general mayhem then sure. If the goal is the president of the United States then blowing up a checkpoint is not going to be sufficient for that person. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/67 "2026-04-26T17:22:02Z")
> [@doomtastic](#): > > Ok, and if I don’t do that? You don’t get to decide if you look suspicious to law enforcment. ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/68 "2026-04-26T17:23:12Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > What I want is an explanation of this. “Shots fired” is common online slang for rhetorically attacking someone. This is likely her saying the President is going to verbally attack his enemies in his speech tonight (which then didn’t happen because literal shots were fired). ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/69 "2026-04-26T17:24:43Z")
Neat? I don’t get what your point is here. Yes there is some nebulous line near by but not actually at the metal detectors that constitutes part of the perimeter. It still stands that anyone who hasn’t yet passed _through_ the perimeter might be a danger. And yet they aren’t all harassed by secret service… ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/70 "2026-04-26T17:25:45Z")
According to Bloomberg, perp had a mechanical engineering degree (2017) and was working on a Masters in computer science (2025). He purchased a shotgun last August and a pistol in Oct 2023. He took a train across the country from CA to DC: passengers are not required to declare weapons on Amtrak. So the mayhem was planned but not well planned. “Sprint through the secret service team”, doesn’t sound like a great strategy. The perp does have sufficient mental clarity to keep his mouth shut. Solid evidence is pretty thin online. I haven’t come across any interviews with his associates and statements by the Trump administration have a lot of noise. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/71 "2026-04-26T17:30:09Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > passengers are not required to declare weapons on Amtrak …_yet_. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/72 "2026-04-26T17:36:16Z")
> [@doomtastic](#): > > There’s no way to prevent people from having weapons outside the perimeter. It wasn’t foolproof, but there was a way prior to the SCOTUS District of Columbia v. Heller decision. Now, because it is legal, there are likely a lot more hotel guests with loaded handguns. While the Secret Service may try searching the whole Hilton if the dinner is rescheduled there, I suspect there are too many for them to find them all. The bigger the perimeter, the more likely there will have been weapons hidden inside the perimeter before the security checkpoint was set up. Every checkpoint location has plusses and minuses. But if you put the checkpoint so far away that Trump couldn’t hear the gunshots, that’s certainly a terrible location. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/73 "2026-04-26T17:37:17Z")
And if the gun lobby got its way, people might be able to walk around openly armed just outside the venue. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/74 "2026-04-26T17:38:58Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > > > Amtrak > > …_yet_. No, you definitely do need to inform Amtrak if you are transporting firearms in your baggage. Advance notice required and many other requirements. # Firearms in Checked Baggage Amtrak accepts reservations of firearms and ammunition for carriage between Amtrak stations and on Amtrak trains within the United States that offer checked baggage service and a ticket office. Amtrak Connection bus services are not to be included in this service. The following policies are in effect: - Notification that the passenger will be checking firearms/ammunition must be made no later than 24 hours before train departure by calling Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL. Online reservations for firearms/ammunition are not accepted. - The passengers must travel on the same train that is transporting the checked firearms and/or ammunition. - All firearms and/or ammunition must be checked at least 30 minutes prior to scheduled train departure. Some larger stations require that baggage be checked earlier. Please contact your departure station for more details. - All firearms (rifles, shotguns, handguns, taser guns, starter pistols) must be unloaded and in an approved, locked hard-sided container not exceeding 62" L x 17" W x 7" D (1575 mm x 432 mm x 178 mm). The passenger must have sole possession of the key or the combination for the lock to the container. The weight of the container may not exceed 50 lbs/23 kg. - Smaller locked, hard-sided containers containing smaller unloaded firearms such as handguns, taser guns and starter pistols must be securely stored within a suitcase or other item of checked baggage, but the existence of such a firearm must be declared. - All ammunition carried must be securely packed in the original manufacturer’s container; in fiber, wood, or metal boxes; or in other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. The maximum weight of all ammunition and containers may not exceed 11 lbs/5 kg. - The passenger is responsible for knowing and following all federal, state, and local firearm laws at all jurisdictions to and through which he or she will be traveling. - All other Amtrak checked baggage policies apply, including limits on the number of pieces of checked baggage, the maximum weight of each piece (50 lbs/23 kg). - Firearms/ammunition may not be carried in carry-on baggage; therefore, checked baggage must be available on all trains and at all stations in the passenger’s itinerary. - At the time of check-in, passengers will be required to complete and sign a two-part Declaration Form. - BB guns and Compressed Air Guns (to include paintball markers), are to be treated as firearms and must comply with the above firearms policy. Canisters, tanks, or other devices containing propellants must be emptied prior to checking and securely packaged within the contents of the passenger’s luggage. Passengers failing to meet the above-mentioned requirements for checking firearms will be denied transportation. To inquire about or begin the firearms reservation process, use the [Contact Us](https://www.amtrak.com/contact-us) page and select “Checked Firearms Program” as the subject and follow guidance. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/75 "2026-04-26T17:54:53Z")
> [@doomtastic](#): > > “Shots fired” is common online slang for rhetorically attacking someone. This is likely her saying the President is going to verbally attack his enemies in his speech tonight (which then didn’t happen because literal shots were fired). Oh, please. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/76 "2026-04-26T17:56:19Z")
Not clear how rigorously Amtrak rules were enforced. Bloomberg: > The attack will likely put new scrutiny on train security. Unlike air travel, passengers are not required to declare firearms on Amtrak. Bloomberg’s reporting was at best misleading. Thanks to @BippityBoppityBoo for the clarification. * * * Urban dictionary has a number of entries for “Shots fired”. > **[Urban Dictionary: shots fired](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shots%20fired)** > > Shots Fired: When you blatantly diss or call out somebody you have a disagreement or problem with. stems from the term "Warning Shots" ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/77 "2026-04-26T18:31:57Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > passengers are not required to declare weapons on Amtrak. Ironically one of those gun rights extended under the Obama administration. > **[FLASHBACK: Obama: I Have Expanded Rights of Gun Owners](https://abcnews.com/blogs/politics/2012/12/flashback-obama-i-have-expanded-rights-of-gun-owners)** > > Get breaking national and world news, broadcast video coverage, and exclusive interviews. Find the top news online at ABC news. I find it very interesting that so many people readily believe that a conspiracy occurred. Isn’t one of the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime that nobody trusts the official government line anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/78 "2026-04-26T18:33:02Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And if the gun lobby got its way, people might be able to walk around openly armed just outside the venue. No, that’s not the gun lobby’s way. Official NRA events don’t allow guns anywhere near them, either. They’re only pro-gun when they personally aren’t at risk. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/79 "2026-04-26T18:49:00Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I meant, wasn’t the claim made by him? Yes, and he said he was honored to be someone people want to kill. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > However, I do note that it got Trump out of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, while allowing him to claim that he was going to show up. He absolutely wanted to be there. He was planning to deliver, to his mind, the most burning burn ever burned to his enemies. > [@](#): > > Karoline Leavitt calls on everyone to watch tonight because Donald Trump will bring the heat and there will be “shots fired”. He thought it was going to be epic. _Then_ he was going to leave because he can dish it out but can’t take it. (As if any of the cowardly journalists there were going to try to hit back.) ---
**Author:** ![doomtastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@doomtastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomtastic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559/80 "2026-04-26T18:59:35Z")
Please what? There’s not really any other interpretation for the comment. > This speech tonight will be classic Donald J. Trump. It’ll be funny. It’ll be entertaining. There will be some shots fired tonight in the room. So everyone should tune in, it’s going to be really great. That is clearly a reference to his speech using an incredibly common term. No one would blink twice at this phrasing in any other context or by any other person. The alternative - that they knowingly bragged about a staged assassination attempt to get more viewers for it simply beggars belief. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companion-thread-to-shots-fired-at-white-house-correspondents-dinner/1029559.md?page=5)