Republicans and Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nancy Mace, are canceling events and taking other security precautions.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is sending shock waves through Capitol Hill, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressing fears for their own safety and taking greater security precautions following a summer of political violence.

Members are beefing up their security, moving public events indoors or canceling them altogether. One is even vowing to carry firearms.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the progressive star who has faced numerous death threats over the years, said Thursday she had postponed two public events planned for this weekend in North Carolina, including a rally in Raleigh set for Sunday.

    • Canaconda@lemmy.ca
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      10 hours ago

      Both sides

      So sad you have to say that because most people are so dumb they think billionaires are plebs like us picking sides instead of playing both.

  • Runaway@lemmy.zip
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    13 hours ago

    AOC is fearing retaliation, justifiably so given her colleagues. Just about anyone else? good. honestly a bit of fear of the masses might do good

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      It’s just strange to me that the basis of all of it is that Kirk didn’t believe people should be treated equally, nor have equal rights, and that people should be persecuted for being different.

      And A LOT of people think that him going on school campuses and trying to convince as many young people as he could of that was proper.

    • Canaconda@lemmy.ca
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      10 hours ago

      Only in America do they consider shooting their elected representatives before electing different ones /s

      • mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 hours ago

        America is a weird dichotomy, where congressional approval ratings as a whole are in the toilet… But approval ratings among individual representatives with their constituents is fairly high. Generally speaking, people like their own representatives, even though they dislike congress as a whole. Basically, every single person is going “it’s all the other voters’ fault that congress is so broken.”

        If AOC was getting a death threat, it statistically wasn’t from someone in her own district, because her constituents like her.

    • Thom@discuss.online
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      15 hours ago

      Trump will use the gun violence to justify such gulag. Democrats are enduring abuse and they are helpless. Something’s gotta crack

  • leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    19 hours ago

    Members of Congress fear for their safety after Charlie Kirk assassination

    Good.

    The people shouldn’t be afraid of their government.

    The government should be afraid of the people.

    • cmhe@lemmy.world
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      16 hours ago

      They should be afraid of the people, but not of individuals with guns or money to hire contract killers.

      Kirk’s death was a public assassination. There are many easier for ways someone can kill an unsuspecting target. The way the killer escaped makes it likely they where professional or otherwise trained, not just crazy. The killer choose a difficult and public way to kill him, meaning it is more then just about killing Krik. It is clearly a message, question is what message and to whom.

      • ubergeek@lemmy.today
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        13 hours ago

        They should be afraid of the people, but not of individuals with guns or money to hire contract killers.

        No, they should be afraid of that too, just like every other citizen in this country.

        • cmhe@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          Maybe you are scarcastic, but I think nobody should be afraid of their life by getting killed by random people.

          • ubergeek@lemmy.today
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            10 hours ago

            I agree! Nobody should be afraid for their life by getting killed by randos. However, 99% of the US population DOES have to fear it, and ~75% of the global population is in fear of being attacked by “some rando” called “The United States of America”.

          • postmateDumbass@lemmy.world
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            11 hours ago

            If i can guess at their point is:

            25% people need fear to stay in line

            75% congress needs to feel the same risks as everyday people

  • Cruxifux@feddit.nl
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    21 hours ago

    I am not going to shed a single tear for American politicians being scared for their lives.

  • mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de
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    1 day ago

    If AOC is cancelling events it’s because of fear of retaliatory action on the right, but NBC won’t title it in such an honest way.

    Also, “one is even vowing to carry firearms” lmao. I’m all for people’s right to bear arms, but it doesn’t protect you individually from an assassin. What, if only Kirk had a pistol on him, he could have whipped it out and shot the other bullet in half before it hit him, like the fucking Matrix?

    • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      And to take up the gun-nuts usual spiel: this time, the people had the good guy with the gun to defend them against Kirk.

        • LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net
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          11 hours ago

          https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/research-reports/gun-violence-in-the-united-states

          Carrying firearms in public also increases the risk for violence by escalating minor arguments and increasing the chances that a confrontation will become lethal. Research has found that even the mere presence of a firearm increases aggressive thoughts and actions.20

          Some believe that carrying a firearm will act as a deterrent and help prevent conflicts or minimize harm. While there are specific examples where this was true, there are many more cases where firearm carrying escalates conflict and leads to firearm injury or death. In aggregate, research shows firearm carrying increases levels of violent crime.21

        • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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          12 hours ago

          The commenter may provide a link but if you at an overview take a look at Canada vs USA. In Canada you can get your gun license at 12 for using a firearm, and need to be maybe 16 or 18(I forget) to purchase one. But we don’t have a gun culture of carrying in public. Then look at the USA. Not only is everyone gun happy, they actually live in fear. Gun deaths are often from their own gun used on them.
          It also gives every gun toter a false sense of security, and Imma be a hero mentality, leading to deaths.

    • PwnTra1n@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Had someone tell me they had a problem cuz he wasn’t even able to defend himself. The gymnastics to not blame gun violence when he was literally shot while talking about shootings.

      • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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        14 hours ago

        Shot immediately after finishing a sentence in which he spouted racist dog whistle bullshit about the predominant demographics of mass shooters, as he was sitting under an easy-up emblazoned with PROVE ME WRONG.

        The marksman:

        okay, well, since you asked so nicely…

        Genuinely, the comedic timing was jaw-droppingly impeccable.

      • mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de
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        24 hours ago

        It’s always depressing yet eye-opening to hear the opinions of people at the grassroots. The average citizen of America truly is so unfathomably dumb. Even the lower class of the 1700s probably had better critical thinking skills. We might even be setting all time records here.

        • Frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          10 hours ago

          There are some arguments, like the “not able to defend himself” one, that are so mindbogglingly stupid that I don’t even know what to say in response.

          Which might be their rhetorical purpose.

        • krashmo@lemmy.world
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          22 hours ago

          People have always been this dumb as a whole. We’re apes who decided talking shit to each other is better than throwing shit at each other. If a few dozen of us hadn’t gotten lucky enough to figure out some amazing things over the centuries we’d all still be praying to the god of the hunt to bring back the buffalo herd next season so we don’t stave to death.

          • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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            12 hours ago

            There’s a good book called “Not for Profit” came out around 2010 and describes how the systematic erosion of arts/literature, the Humanties, from school systems, is being replaced by bare minimum to train workers. Creating a dumb population that can’t think for themselves, makes it easy for government control with no resistance

  • SpikesOtherDog@ani.social
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    1 day ago

    Your comment isn’t wrong, but maybe not being Charlie Kirk is exactly what will be dangerous for some politicians.