Shots rang out on Saturday, April 25 at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an annual gala organized by the White House Correspondents’ Association. The gunman was arrested at the scene and arraigned two days later on federal charges.

Cole Tomas Allen, MS, a 31-year-old teacher residing in Los Angeles County, allegedly transported a gun and ammunition across state lines and discharged that gun intending to assassinate the President. He is being investigated by the FBI.

Allen’s manifesto, which he sent by email to family members, a former employer and originally published by The New York Post, said he is “no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” 

The onslaught inspired reactions in attendees and Pace University students in spite of the accused being apprehended before reaching the ballroom where the President was situated.

Jake Lester, a Communications and Media Studies major, double minor in Arts and Entertainment Management and Environmental Studies at Dyson, was surprised at the event’s lax security (ex. no QR code required to enter) and said the shooting was a bipartisan failure of gun policy.

“He’s a college graduate, and the GOP can’t go for the excuse of a mentally-ill person being behind the gun,” Lester said, noting the popularity of schools as a target for gun violence.

“Gun violence is not just in NYC or DC; it’s all across America,” he said. “[Gun reform] needs to be more centralized in the conversation. School shootings are horrifying and something must be done… Some of their [attendees] reactions looked strange. It looks like a cover-up.”

Kris Burke, a Psychology major at the University explained that she wants to see more restrictions regarding gun sales.

“People are overly fearful of their guns being taken away,” Burke said. 

Lester and Burke agreed that would-be gun owners should be required to have a purpose for a gun, be subjected to a background check and be subjected to a waiting period before they may be sold a gun. Additionally, both students think the incident was a staged false flag operation.

When asked if they agreed the President is a pedophile, rapist, and traitor, the students said, “Yes.”

They cited the Administration’s illegal underaction in the congressionally-mandated release of the Epstein files.

The event, which featured a red carpet photoshoot, was attended by Administration officials and notable journalists. On the other side of town, the Grindr and Substack afterparties pushed onward.