People hug after Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump was helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Mere minutes after shots rang out on Saturday at a Pennsylvania campaign rally where former President Donald Trump was speaking, the news spread across the nation. The reaction to this depraved assassination attempt was swift, with lawmakers across the political spectrum uniting for a moment against political violence and dangerous rhetoric. We call on lawmakers to continue to unify, rather than stoke the flames of divisiveness, as this pivotal point in American history unfolds before us.

As more details become clear in the days after this attempt, we are reminded of the last time an assassination attempt was made against a sitting or former president — the near-fatal shooting of President Ronald Reagan, 1981. We’re reminded of a statement from liberal Democrat Joseph Giordano following that attempt: “Today, Mr. President, we are all Republicans.”

It’s in crisis when real leadership is needed the most.

Lawmakers — Democrat, Republican, Independent or otherwise affiliated — must understand that what they say, and how they interact with those with whom they disagree, carries a lot of weight.

Dehumanizing an opponent — casting them as an agent of evil for the sake of currying favor — can lead to violence. Spreading conspiracy theories can lead to violence. Stoking hatred with inflammatory rhetoric can lead to violence.

History has shown us that when political polarization builds to a flashpoint, there are often unsuspecting victims caught in the crossfire. In the attempt against Reagan, White House Press Secretary James Brady sustained brain damage and was permanently disabled. A total of nine deaths have been attributed to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, both on the day of the riot and in the subsequent months. And on Saturday, a spectator at the rally, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, was killed. Comperatore, a firefighter from Pennsylvania, used his body to shield his family from gunfire, according to his wife.

“The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we all love the most,” his sister, Dawn Comperatore, told the New York Times on Sunday.

Let this be a moment for us to come together as Americans and as human beings. Let this be a moment to recognize the horrific nature of this attack against a candidate and for us to mourn an innocent life lost. And let this be a watershed moment in the political sphere, where politicians and voters alike resolve to be kinder, more deliberate with their words and more empathetic in the face of disagreements.