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.

  • mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de
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    7 months 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?

    • PwnTra1n@lemmy.world
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      7 months 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.

      • mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de
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        7 months 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
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          7 months 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.

        • anomnom@sh.itjust.works
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          7 months ago

          They were burning witches a couple decades before that.

          We probably shouldn’t underestimate the level of dumb that is and always has been a big part of the human race.

      • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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        7 months 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.

    • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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      7 months 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.

  • leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    7 months 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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      7 months 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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        7 months 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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          7 months 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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            7 months 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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            7 months 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

  • threeonefour@piefed.ca
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    7 months ago

    They shouldn’t be allowed to feel safe going to work until kids feel safe going to school.

  • ambiguous_yelp
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    7 months ago

    People shouldn’t be afraid of their governments governments should be afraid of their people - V For Vendetta

  • Runaway@lemmy.zip
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    7 months 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

    • Canaconda@lemmy.caBanned
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      7 months 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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        7 months 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.

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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      7 months 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.

  • Marshezezz
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    7 months ago

    Meh 🤷‍♂️ sucks to feel fear, doesn’t it?

    • Thom@discuss.online
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      7 months ago

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

  • Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone
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    7 months ago

    I wonder how much of this is people just being freaked out, how much of it is based on intelligence not available to the public, and how much of it is cynical theater.

      • Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone
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        7 months ago

        I dunno, not being Charlie Kirk seems to have protected everyone else so far. Maybe they have evidence the shooter is after politicians too, maybe they don’t; not a chance the public knows everything they know. My guess (emphasis on guess) is anyone who wanted to go after a politician would start with that, not some conservative grifter.

        Maybe this comment will look stupid AF in a week, who knows.

        • tidderuuf@lemmy.worldBanned
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          7 months ago

          He literally said if he was getting death threats then he is doing something right. Sounds like a classic case of fuck around find out.