The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has rattled lawmakers on Capitol Hill, plunging members of Congress into a new cycle of fear about their own safety and setting off a scramble to boost security in ways that some warn could reshape the relationship between elected officials and the public they represent.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Wednesday while addressing a large outdoor crowd at Utah Valley University. The FBI has yet to identify the gunman or determine a motive, though the agency has released photos of a person of interest they believe is tied to the shooting. The attack, brazen and public, has been the latest flashpoint in a string of politically motivated violence that has shadowed American politics in recent years, including two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, the mob assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, and more recently, the killings of former Minnesota state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
In the aftermath of Kirk’s shooting, members of Congress have taken steps to beef up their security and move public events indoors or cancel them altogether. One Republican lawmaker is even vowing to carry a firearm at all times.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who has faced numerous death threats during her tenure in Congress, said Thursday she was postponing two weekend events in North Carolina due to security concerns in the wake of Kirk’s killing. “From the moment I was elected, I have felt that I accept a certain level of risk in doing this job,” the progressive lawmaker told reporters, adding that existing security protocols for members of Congress were “not designed for a digital threat environment era.”
Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, a Republican running for governor who has been an outspoken critic of transgender people, said she was canceling all outdoor appearances “for the foreseeable future” and vowed to carry a firearm…
