Dr. Dabbs – James Hodgkinson: The Dead Domestic Terrorist

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

My dad is a very wise man. He once explained the difference between politics today and politics when he was a kid. He said that when he was young everybody believed in mom, apple pie, and America. The differences between the Right and Left were nuanced. Life was simpler and less confusing. Women married men, folks only infrequently burned down their neighborhoods, and most everybody thought America was great and warranted veneration. 

That’s not to say we didn’t have our problems. I grew up in the Deep South, and racism was a very real scourge. Regardless of what the media tells you, that’s way better now. However, there still wasn’t the unfettered hatred between political factions that exists today. 

Polarized Politics

I doubt I would much enjoy a protracted car trip with Donald Trump. He honestly sounds like kind of a jerk. However, I didn’t vote for him because I wanted a new friend. I voted for him because his policies aligned with my own and he was so darned disruptive. I loved the fact that he was such a threat to the status quo. We’ve had professional politicians running the country for my entire adult life, and they all sucked at it. I was just curious to see how a real outsider might do at the job. It turned out that not everybody had such a rational take on the situation. 

Part of the reason our world is so polarized these days is the nature of our modern hot-button issues. Gender fluidity, abortion, and gun control represent binary politics. Those issues are plus or minus, black or white. There’s not a whole lot of room for compromise to be found there. When fueled by politicians whose very professional existence is dependent upon chaos and driven by a complicit media the results can sometimes be explosive.

The Public

I have a sort-of public job. I write stuff, and folks read it. The vast majority of people, particularly in a traditionally conservative venue such as this, are good wholesome productive citizens. As a gun writer, I’ve never met a reader face to face who didn’t end up a friend. You’re the sort I would trust to keep an eye on my house while I’m gone or to whom I might loan my pickup. A certain very small but statistically significant percentage of the general public, however, is just flat-out crazy. You need look no further than the comment sections of past columns to find your proof.

This deep into the Information Age everybody with a keyboard has a voice. Twitter propels the otherwise lost ramblings of the unbalanced into the public forum. Certain of the general public lack the insight and restraint to process such stuff rationally. Under the wrong circumstances, great harm can result.

The Shooter – James Hodgkinson

By age 66 James Hodgkinson was an unmitigated failure. A left-wing activist, Hodgkinson had worked as a volunteer in Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Presidential campaign. His fellow Bernie campaigners later described him as, “quiet and reserved.” However, he did nonetheless pen 27 letters to the editor of his hometown newspaper ranting against Republicans and right-wing ideology. Excerpts include, “Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It’s Time to Destroy Trump & Co.” He publicly called for, “The legal removal of Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for treason.” He belonged to Facebook groups with names like, “Terminate the Republican Party,” “The Road To Hell Is Paved With Republicans,” and “Donald Trump is not my President.”

Such unbridled hate took a toll on the man’s personal life. Sheriff’s deputies were called to his home in Belleville, Illinois, half a dozen times. In one case neighbors complained that he was firing a rifle into neighborhood trees. In 2006 Hodgkinson was charged with domestic battery for allegedly beating his foster daughter. The case was dropped when the young woman refused to testify.

Hodgkinson’s home inspection business eventually failed, and he separated from his wife. By 2017 he was unemployed, out of money, and living out of his van. With his life in shambles, James Hodgkinson needed villains. He found his villains in Republicans.

The Battlefield

Since 1909, members of Congress have hosted the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity. This annual bipartisan sporting event pits Republicans against Democrats for a regulation baseball game with all proceeds going to charitable causes. It is an opportunity to set the vitriol aside and enjoy an afternoon playing America’s game. 

On 14 June 2017, twenty-four Republican congressmen were gathered at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria, Virginia, for baseball practice. Senators Rand Paul and Jeff Flake were in attendance as were Congressmen Steve Scalise, Trent Kelly, Mo Brooks, Chuck Fleischmann, Brad Wenstrup, Jeff Duncan, Rodney Davis, Mike Bishop, Jack Bergman, and Joe Barton. As Steve Scalise was the House Majority Whip at the time, he was afforded a uniformed security detail from the US Capitol Police. The three security detail members were posted behind the first-base dugout, keeping an eye on proceedings.

Predictability is arguably the terrorist’s greatest asset. The Republican team had conducted practice at the same place and at the same time for several days straight. Representatives Jeff Duncan and Ron DeSantis later reported that a man approached them asking if it was the Republicans or Democrats who were practicing at 0630 in the morning at this field. They verified that it was the Republicans. This man turned out to be James Hodgkinson.

The Shooting

The practice had been ongoing for perhaps half an hour when Hodgkinson opened fire unexpectedly with an SKS rifle. He also carried a Smith and Wesson M&P Shield 9mm handgun, but there is no evidence he actually fired it. As soon as the first shots rang out, two of the Capitol Police security officers, Crystal Griner and David Bailey, rushed onto the field in an effort to protect the Congressmen. Hodgkinson took cover behind the third-base dugout as the remaining armed security officer, Henry Cabrera, engaged him from behind the opposite dugout with his service pistol. A surprisingly ferocious firefight unfolded across the baseball diamond.

Those Injured by Hodgkinson

Steve Scalise was manning second base and caught a 7.62x39mm round to the hip. This bullet transited his pelvis, shattering bones and perforating internal organs. Scalise was unable to walk and was bleeding heavily. In this state, he began dragging himself across the field to cover.

Congressman Mo Brooks improvised a tourniquet out of his belt to help staunch the bleeding of a congressional staffer who was shot through the calf. Brooks and Representative Brad Wenstrup, a podiatrist and US Army Reservist with the 344th Combat Support Hospital, then turned their attention to keeping Scalise alive. Meanwhile, the three Capitol police officers maintained an ongoing exchange of fire with Hodgkinson, keeping his head down long enough to evacuate the killing zone and call for backup. Along the way Capitol Police Officer Crystal Griner was shot in the ankle, and Officer David Bailey was injured, though not by gunfire.

Matt Mika, a lobbyist for Tyson Foods, was the most badly hurt. He was shot several times in the arm and chest, sustaining injuries to his lungs, ribs, and sternum. Both Mika and Scalise survived only due to timely evacuation and emergency surgery.

The Gun

The Samozaryadny Karabin sistemy Simonova, 1945, rifle James Hodgkinson used in his attempted assassination was a relatively cheap surplus weapon imported by Century Arms. When I was young you could land a Chicom SKS and a case of bulk 7.62x39mm ammunition for less than $100. They are obviously more expensive nowadays.

The SKS rifle is a short-stroke, gas piston-driven weapon that locks via a tilting block and feeds from a fixed ten-round internal box magazine. The magazine is charged from the top via stripper clips. The gun was designed in the Soviet Union in the latter parts of WW2 as a replacement for the Mosin-Nagant bolt-action infantry rifle. 

SEE MORE: SKS: Good Enough or Get You Killed?

The SKS was formally adopted in 1949 only to be supplanted in Soviet service by the superior Kalashnikov rifles soon after. The SKS was subsequently widely exported. In the American gun market, the SKS is typically viewed as a poor man’s AK. Aftermarket detachable magazines and sundry accessories make the SKS the functional equivalent of the semi-auto Kalashnikov at a lower cost. Both weapons fire the same M43 7.62x39mm round.

The Rest of the Story

The gunfight lasted about ten minutes. Responding Alexandria Police officers along with the Capitol Police security detail ultimately shot James Hodgkinson to pieces. The wounded terrorist was taken to George Washington University Hospital where he later died. He was the only fatality. Good riddance.

In the aftermath of the shooting, there was the obligatory hand-wringing on both sides of the aisle. All involved rightfully praised the gallant actions of the police officers in question. For his part, Bernie Sanders had this to say, “I have just been informed that the alleged shooter at the Republican baseball practice is someone who apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign. I am sickened by this despicable act. Let me be as clear as I can be, violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. Real change can only come about through nonviolent action, and anything else runs counter to our most deeply held American values.”

Aftermath

The Congressional Baseball Game took place as scheduled with more than twice as many tickets sold as usual. The event raised more than $1 million for charity. David Bailey, one of the two Capitol Police officers injured during the shooting, threw out the first pitch while on crutches. The Democrats beat the Republicans 11-2, though they graciously loaned the victory trophy to their opponents to be held until Representative Scalise finished his recovery. The current record stands at 44-42-1 in favor of Republicans.

In the immediate aftermath, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe predictably called for more gun control. Had Hodgkinson been convicted of domestic battery he would indeed have been unable to obtain weapons legally–as though that might actually have made one whit of difference. By contrast, many Republicans placed blame for the violence on the venomous anti-Trump rhetoric perpetuated by the Left and the media. In the end, however, very little actually changed. Everybody still hates everybody, and marginalized members of society still plot their dark schemes. Throughout it all, political ideologues with the support of a complicit media make bank from the chaos.

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