It is difficult to calibrate emotionally to the shooting at the Trump rally that left one dead, others injured, and the GOP nominee bleeding from a bullet-grazed ear.

On one hand, it portends something ominous, a further rupture in the societal fabric, a horrifying severing of more ties that bind us as a country.

On the other hand, it is just another instance of a mass shooting at a public gathering in America — something that used to shock the conscience of the nation and now garners brief mention and templated expressions of shallow grief, stale condolences, and unconvincing calls for change.

We have learned to defer to guns over people in classrooms, concerts, churches, supermarkets, and office buildings. Why wouldn’t that same festering toxin spill into political gatherings? What on earth would allow us to believe those spaces are immune to this sinister national phenomenon?

The description of the shooter is so familiar that I scarcely need to type it here: white, male, young, described as a loner, a history of being bullied, with easy access to an AR-15. At 20 years old, he was not old enough to rent a car by himself but had easy access to an AR-15. He was a registered Republican who voted in the midterms but would have been too young to have cast a ballot in the last Presidential election.

Shot dead by Secret Service, his blood-soaked T-shirt was from Demolition Ranch, an ammosexual paradise that touts "punch guns" that allow you to hit someone with your fist and shoot them at the same time. Their YouTube page brags about "barely legal" guns in a manner that can only be described as pornographic. (See "Edging: YouTube’s New Gun Rules").

In the immediate aftermath, Democratic leaders denounced the violence and expressed concern for the families of those killed and injured. President Biden personally called Trump to express relief for his safety. That should not stand out to us as remarkable statesmanship.

But this has been a mean season in America, driven primarily by the MAGA extremists who have rejoiced in greater violence. They celebrated the attack on January 6th when rioters violently stormed the Capitol, leading to deaths and injuries among law enforcement and others. Many in the MAGA movement glorified the insurrection, with some calling the participants "patriots" and “heroes."

The attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, was mocked by various right-wing figures, including Trump, with many making light of the violent attack and spreading conspiracy theories.

They have lionized Kyle Rittenhouse, who, at 17 years old, drove to a neighboring town armed to menace anti-police brutality protestors and ended up killing two people and injuring another. He is a darling of the lucrative right-wing speaker's circuit.

And it has come to light that Trump demanded that law enforcement should shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down at the border, a statement that was widely criticized but also found support among some extreme factions of his base.

It is in that context that America is coming to grips with the totality of Trump's Project 2025 blueprint for dismantling democracy and stripping away freedoms and protections for the majority of Americans while enriching the uber-wealthy who bankroll him. In response to the growing outrage, Project 2025 architect Kevin Roberts threatened those opposing their agenda: "We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

Even the language of revolution and civil war shows up in the manifestos of high-profile mass shootings.

In 2015, Charleston, South Carolina, Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, attacked the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, killing nine worshippers during a Bible study. His manifesto expressed the desire to start a race war, citing his belief in white superiority and the threat posed by Black Americans.

In 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Robert Bowers attacked the Tree of Life Synagogue, killing 11 people and injuring six. He posted anti-Semitic messages online, blaming Jews for bringing "invaders" (immigrants) into the U.S., and believed his attack would spark wider violence against Jews.

In El Paso, Texas, in 2019, Patrick Crusius killed 23 people and injured 23 others at a Walmart, targeting Hispanic individuals. His manifesto echoed the "Great Replacement" theory, expressing fears of a Hispanic "invasion" and hoping his actions would inspire others to similar violence.

The same year, in Jersey City, New Jersey, David N. Anderson and Francine Graham killed three people at a kosher supermarket. This attack was motivated by anti-Semitic beliefs and the desire to target Jews, reflecting a broader white supremacist agenda.

In 2022, in Buffalo, New York, Payton S. Gendron, influenced by the Christchurch and El Paso shooters, attacked a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood, killing ten people. His manifesto was filled with neo-Nazi references and "Great Replacement" theory rhetoric, aiming to provoke further violence and societal division.

These attacks highlight a disturbing pattern of hate-driven violence motivated by white supremacist ideologies. The perpetrators often share similar beliefs, use previous attacks as inspiration, and aim to incite broader societal conflicts. The distinction between their rhetoric and those of the MAGA/Project 2025 proponents is only in degree, not substance. Violent homegrown white supremacists are the single most dangerous terrorist threat to American life right now.

So, it is difficult to calibrate, especially in the face of simple-minded "bothsiderisms" about tamping down the rhetoric and appeals to calm. I caution people who share my beliefs to take heed of what they post. No good comes from more blood in our collective waters.

But do not be cowed into silence about the actual state of things right now and the threat of what the MAGA/GOP would inflict on our country. They have laid out a chilling plan, and that is merely what they have said in public. 
 
Condemn the violence whether it unfolds at a political rally, an elementary school, a synagogue, or a temple. But do not allow the same people who tell us we are helpless to stop the carnage, that we should "get over" the death of our children and our family to angry young men, to use this latest killing to silence us. It is precisely because we decry the violence in Butler, Pennsylvania, that we must get louder, organize with greater urgency, and swamp the voting booth. 
 
We must repudiate everything Trump and the MAGA GOP hope to incite, upend, and destroy in America. We must not only oppose them; we must build a vision of a country that holds hope, opportunity, and safety for all of us.

Nadine Smith is the Executive Director of Equality Florida, the state's largest organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2022, she was named to the Time100, TIME's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.