President Donald Trump and the First Lady were rushed from the Washington Hilton as shots rang out during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner – at the very same location as the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, which famously generated a response from the Rebbe.

According to initial reports, gunfire erupted just as the annual dinner – a high-profile gathering of journalists, government officials, and public figures – was getting underway. Panic spread through the ballroom as attendees ducked for cover and security moved swiftly to secure the area.

Early indications are that a lone suspect, later identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher and engineer from Torrance, California, managed to breach a secured section before opening fire and was quickly subdued by law enforcement on site. The suspect has been taken into custody, and authorities are continuing to investigate whether the president was the intended target.

This appears to be the third apparent assassination attempt targeting Trump in the past two years.

The scene inevitably recalled the dramatic events of March 30, 1981, when President Ronald Reagan was shot at the exact location outside the Washington Hilton moments after addressing a gathering.

The attacker, John Hinckley Jr., fired six shots, one of which struck Reagan after ricocheting off the presidential limousine and puncturing his lung. Three others were wounded, including press secretary James Brady, who suffered severe brain damage and later passed away from complications related to the shooting.

Reagan was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where he underwent emergency treatment. Despite the severity of the situation, he became known for his calm demeanor and even humor as he was being treated.

Two weeks, on April 15, the president sent a telegram to the Rebbe wishing him a happy birthday and acknowledging National Education Day. The Rebbe responded, wishing him a speedy recovery and discussing with him their mutual understanding of the importance of education in the role of raising upright citizens.

At the Yud Aleph Nissan farbrengen, which was publicized on national television for all to hear, the Rebbe addressed the burning issue.

After wishing the president well, the Rebbe turned to speak about the urgent need to teach students morals and values throughout their education, and to remind students that there is a G-d that watches all of our actions.

The Rebbe strongly condemned the current educational trend where educators felt it was not their job to give over any morals or codes of ethics to their students; rather, they just needed to share knowledge with them and allow them the freedom to go on and choose their own path.

The Rebbe also condemned the trending belief at that time that crime bred in poor neighborhoods with little to no opportunities for the inhabitants, who then, lacking other options, turned to destructive and dangerous behaviors.

Bringing up the example of the recent assassination attempt by a young heir of an extremely wealthy and respected American business family, the Rebbe refuted the above notion and blamed it on the aforementioned lack of ethics taught in our schools.

The Rebbe went on to explain that children need to be guided and taught what is wrong and what is right. They need to know that stealing and killing are reprehensible acts, and they need to know that there is an Almighty Being above that watches and knows everything that is being done down here. When children learn about the presence of G-d and that He can see any bad actions they do, they gain the inner moral strength to choose the right thing and not cause harm.

Today again, there is a popular rhetoric that crime and wrongdoing is simply the result of poverty and lack of opportunity. While we don’t yet know the exact details of this latest shooter, some will likely point to his circumstances. But in the Rebbe’s words, it is not life circumstances that prescribe a person’s destiny. With firm values and belief in G-d, we can make the right choices.