Brit makes Trump assassination attempt.

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**djones520**

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/19/politics/trump-rally-gun-police-officer/index.html

(CNN)The man arrested for trying to disarm a police officer inside a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas Saturday told authorities he intended to use the gun "to kill Trump," according to a new criminal complaint.

Police arrested the 19-year-old after he attempted to pull a police officer's gun from its holster inside a Las Vegas theater where Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, was holding a campaign rally.
Police said Michael Sandford struck up a conversation with a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer under the pretense that he was seeking to get an autograph. During the conversation, police said Sandford tried to pull the officer's service weapon from its holster. Other officers also assigned to provide security at the event were quickly able to detain Sandford and authorities said there was no further disruption to the event.
Sanford told police that he drove to Las Vegas from California "to kill Trump," according to the complaint, after hearing a few days earlier in the news that he was expected there. On June 17, he practiced shooting a gun for the first time at a gun range in Las Vegas.
"Sanford further stated that if he were on the street tomorrow, he would try this again," reads the complaint, obtained by CNN. "Sandford claimed he had been planning to kill Trump for about a year but decided to act on this occasion because he finally felt confident about trying it."

This story mentions his nationality.

Sandford had a United Kingdom driver's license with him at the time, according to the criminal complaint signed by Secret Service Special Agent Joseph Hall.

Secret Service agents said that Sandford told them he had been in the U.S. for about a year and a half, lived in Hoboken, N.J., and drove to the San Bernardino, Calif., area before coming to Las Vegas on June 16.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/06/20/man-tried-to-grab-cops-gun-to-kill-trump-at-las-vegas-rally-authorities-say.html

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I'm getting the feeling this won't be the last attempt.

**TheCustomLime**

What if he was a time traveler from a future where Trump was elected and came to stop the apocalypse before it began?

**redleger**

Didn't know your average Brit knew how to use a weapon.

**Gordon Shumway**

That's ridiculous. Of course if he had a time traveling device he would have gone back before Trump had Secret Security detail. Some people just don't think.

**SirDonlad**

Sorry about this arsehole trying to stick his nose in your politics; please, throw the book at him.

**djones520**

SirDonlad wrote:
Sorry about this arsehole trying to stick his nose in your politics; please, throw the book at him.

It's almost flattering. Has an American ever tried to kill a British politician?

**SirDonlad**

No, just a couple of natives and some irishmen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serving_British_MPs_who_were_assassinated

**Nostromodamus**

If Pres Trump bans UK citizens as a result I'll be in a bit of a pickle, being dual Citizen.

**Asterios**

I'm wondering what his immigration stance was? just saying I cannot imagine for the life of me why he would do something like that, yeah can see any home grown idiot going after a president and/or candidate, but someone from overseas with a country we are friendly with? something about this seems odd to say the least.

**Ouze**

Does this mean now we're going to have to build another wall to keep the British out?

Can we leave a little hole in it they can push Forge World stuff through?

**xraytango**

This is great fodder for a solid conspiracy theory.

So many dots to connect, some real Alex Jones stuff here!

Lol

**Steve steveson**

I'm assuming he is now goain't to ban all British people from getting visas? Any word on his religion so Trump can ban them too. Can't be too careful.

**kronk**

Steve steveson wrote:
I'm assuming he is now goain't to ban all British people from getting visas? Any word on his religion so Trump can ban them too. Can't be too careful.

Damn those Presbyterians! (You guys have those, right?)

Silly Brit. Just go buy a gun at a gun show!

**Kilkrazy**

If he had a green card he could have just done that.

**Asterios**

Kilkrazy wrote:
If he had a green card he could have just done that.

so either he was here illegally? or he didn't have the money for the gun, issue is why? why did he want to? if he was from the UK it shouldn't matter who is running for president, but if he was here illegally, then there is the potential he was worried he might get deported if Trump won.

**MrMoustaffa**

Asterios wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:
If he had a green card he could have just done that.

so either he was here illegally? or he didn't have the money for the gun, issue is why? why did he want to? if he was from the UK it shouldn't matter who is running for president, but if he was here illegally, then there is the potential he was worried he might get deported if Trump won.

Given he drove from california, probably a student who was worried about being deported. And if he was a foreign exchange student in California, odds are he didnt have the money or time to get one (or the knowledge considering he'd never fired one), he probably just assumed it'd be easy enough to grab one at the convention. Given how firey Trump gets, and how he's portrayed as Hitler 2.0 in most left leaning media, I can see how the kid may be worried about being deported, or even thinking he would be seen as a hero.

Now, thinking he could drive to vegas, shoot a gun once, then expect to disarm a cop and successfully shoot Trump? Thats pretty stupid. Points either to a kid who wasnt very bright, or someone who isnt quite right in the head.

Granted I wouldve shed no tears had trump been shot, he is the worst human being possible to run as president (and thats saying something considering Hillary is his opposition) but doing that wouldve only turned him into a martyr for the people following him. If anything it would just make the bitter division between parties and races/religions/immigrants even worse than it already is.

**Paradigm**

Asterios wrote:
if he was from the UK it shouldn't matter who is running for president, but if he was here illegally, then there is the potential he was worried he might get deported if Trump won.

You'd be surprised. Most of us Brits are pretty terrified of a potential Trump presidency; the man is a racist, dangerous, incompetent and ridiculous individual, and given how closely Britain and the US operate together on the international stage, there would definitely be knock-on effects for us should be somehow be elected.

Trump running for president was a bit of a joke over here, until it suddenly stopped being funny when we realised he might actually win it... We do have similarly extreme (by British standards) right-wing politicians, but even though some (such as Nigel Farage and UKIP) get extensive media coverage, none of them are anywhere near any meaningful power in parliament. So the prospect of someone who changes his stance on a whim, preaches hate and racial division and is in no way equipped to run a country might be president of a) one of the most powerful nations on the planet and b) our closest international ally is quite alarming.

**Iron_Captain**

SirDonlad wrote:
No, just a couple of natives and some irishmen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serving_British_MPs_who_were_assassinated

That list is so wonderfully short. The UK is just such a nice, peaceful country.

Paradigm wrote:
Asterios wrote:
if he was from the UK it shouldn't matter who is running for president, but if he was here illegally, then there is the potential he was worried he might get deported if Trump won.

You'd be surprised. Most of us Brits are pretty terrified of a potential Trump presidency; the man is a racist, dangerous, incompetent and ridiculous individual, and given how closely Britain and the US operate together on the international stage, there would definitely be knock-on effects for us should be somehow be elected.

And it is not just Brits. Most of Europe is trembling at the thought of Trump becoming president

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

Well, he won't have to worry about being deported now...

**CptJake**

kronk wrote:

Silly Brit. Just go buy a gun at a gun show!

Or at least have realized cops use retention holsters making it very difficult for someone to grab out their weapons.

**obsidianaura**

I'd like to say its nice to see a young person taking an interest in foreign politics, but in this case he may have gone a little too far.

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

obsidianaura wrote:
I'd like to say its nice to see a young person taking an interest in foreign politics, but in this case he may have gone a little too far.

To say he's gone too far is an understatement.

The last President to be targeted by Great Britain was James Madison

**reds8n**

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2016-36582770

According to the court papers, Mr Sandford said he had never fired a gun before but went to a range in Las Vegas on 17 June to learn how to shoot.
At Saturday's rally at the Treasure Island Casino, he allegedly tried to grab the officer's weapon because it was in an unlocked position and therefore, he said, the easiest way to get a gun to shoot Mr Trump.
Court documents say Mr Sandford acknowledged he knew he would only be able to fire one or two rounds, and expected to be killed during an attempt on Mr Trump's life.

He told police if he had not tried to kill Mr Trump at this rally he would have tried again at a rally in Phoenix, for which he had already booked tickets, the papers say.
He told investigators he had been in the US for one and a half years and drove to Las Vegas from California specifically to kill Mr Trump, the court papers say.
Court research showed he was unemployed, living out of his car and in the US illegally, the Associated Press news agency reports.
A federal public defender said he had autism and had attempted suicide, the agency adds.

He said he had been planning to try to shoot Mr Trump for about a year but had decided to act now because he finally felt confident enough to do so, court papers say

1 year...

.. and this is the best idea he could come up with ?!

They serve tea in USA jails right ?

**OgreChubbs**

I was always wondering what the trade deals will be like with trump

Ban brits/muslims
Taking all troops from all countries japan will need to build bigger army
Making friends with north korea
And even putin says he is out to town.

**Chute82**

If the police would have shot him to death the birth of "Brits lives matter" would of swept across the nation.

**obsidianaura**

MrMoustaffa wrote:
Asterios wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:
If he had a green card he could have just done that.

so either he was here illegally? or he didn't have the money for the gun, issue is why? why did he want to? if he was from the UK it shouldn't matter who is running for president, but if he was here illegally, then there is the potential he was worried he might get deported if Trump won.

Given he drove from california, probably a student who was worried about being deported. And if he was a foreign exchange student in California, odds are he didnt have the money or time to get one (or the knowledge considering he'd never fired one), he probably just assumed it'd be easy enough to grab one at the convention. Given how firey Trump gets, and how he's portrayed as Hitler 2.0 in most left leaning media, I can see how the kid may be worried about being deported, or even thinking he would be seen as a hero.

Now, thinking he could drive to vegas, shoot a gun once, then expect to disarm a cop and successfully shoot Trump? Thats pretty stupid. Points either to a kid who wasnt very bright, or someone who isnt quite right in the head.

Granted I wouldve shed no tears had trump been shot, he is the worst human being possible to run as president (and thats saying something considering Hillary is his opposition) but doing that wouldve only turned him into a martyr for the people following him. If anything it would just make the bitter division between parties and races/religions/immigrants even worse than it already is.

You make an interesting point. These recent events have all happened with people who have some form of mental disability.

The killing of Jo Cox, the latest US massacre, the attempt on Trump.

Are these people more vulnerable to how adversarial the media is these days?

I'm not defending their actions but if you're susceptible/suggestible and read enough of these articles spewing bile, or just reading through the comments under the articles. Is it possible they feel compelled to do something about it?

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

Chute82 wrote:
If the police would have shot him to death the birth of "Brits lives matter" would of swept across the nation.

There are quite a few Brits living in the USA (God knows why

) and some of them are even dakka members.

**Charles Rampant**

That list of British MPs to be killed is quite sad and amusing at the same time. The first one - and the actual Prime Minister at the time - was shot because the assassin wanted compensation from Russia for a period of imprisonment. I am willing to guess that he never received said compensation. On the plus side, his widow and family got lots of money from a public aid drive. Then everyone else - barring Jo Cox, of course - fell victim to the Irish thing in its various forms, and I'm sure that there is a nice research paper / newspaper article to be written about those assassinations in light of the changing nature of the Ireland problem/Troubles/Peace Process. Then Jo Cox gets shot by a Brexit nutter (is this right? I've not been following the news that closely).

It does seem that when you spend a year planning to kill Trump, and then are foiled at the very first step of your plan, that perhaps the evidence in favour of your intelligence is not great. I mean, surely you want to wait until you can at least see your intended victim before you draw the attention of the police?

**MrDwhitey**

It was probably more fantasizing than planning.

**=Angel=**

MrMoustaffa wrote:

Granted I wouldve shed no tears had trump been shot,

Charming.

MrMoustaffa wrote:
he is the worst human being possible to run as president

[Citation Needed]

MrMoustaffa wrote:
.... but doing that wouldve only turned him into a martyr for the people following him. If anything it would just make the bitter division between parties and races/religions/immigrants even worse than it already is.

Agreed. There have been many people calling for DJT's death since he's been labelled a bigot and racist (co-incidentally, since he began running against a Democrat) but you have to assume these are just hyperbolic statements to vent frustration, like practically all online death threats.
Anyone with two brain-cells to rub together can see its counter intuitive to off the opposition's leader.

Aside from making your own side look bad, galvanizing opposition to yoir cause, I'm reminded of this quote by Pratchett:

Terry wrote:“Shoot the dictator and prevent the war? But the dictator is merely the tip of the whole festering boil of social pus from which dictators emerge; shoot him and there'll be another one along in a minute. Shoot him too? Why not shoot everyone and invade Poland?”

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Charles Rampant wrote:
That list of British MPs to be killed is quite sad and amusing at the same time. The first one - and the actual Prime Minister at the time - was shot because the assassin wanted compensation from Russia for a period of imprisonment. I am willing to guess that he never received said compensation. On the plus side, his widow and family got lots of money from a public aid drive. Then everyone else - barring Jo Cox, of course - fell victim to the Irish thing in its various forms, and I'm sure that there is a nice research paper / newspaper article to be written about those assassinations in light of the changing nature of the Ireland problem/Troubles/Peace Process.

Ah the Irish thing. I was once asked if we celebrated Guy Fawkes day in Ireland. I explained we'd probably have a holiday if he'd gotten away with it.

Charles Rampant wrote:
It does seem that when you spend a year planning to kill Trump, and then are foiled at the very first step of your plan, that perhaps the evidence in favour of your intelligence is not great. I mean, surely you want to wait until you can at least see your intended victim before you draw the attention of the police?

The plan he'd been working on for a year involved the clever use of flags, but it turned out the Yanks already had one.