The Rise of Political Violence and Targeting of Lawmakers in the U.S.

Members of Congress and state and local officials have been targeted in multiple high-profile violent incidents in recent years, including the 2011 shooting of then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, the 2017 shooting at a Congressional baseball practice that left Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and several other people injured, and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The news outlet reported “the cases are part of the biggest and most sustained increase in U.S. political violence since the 1970s.” Read More: A Stark Look at the Recent History of Political Violence in America Here are some of the attacks that have been carried out against U.S. lawmakers in a violent year for the country’s politics. “This tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us that democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in state houses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place.”

Author: Chantelle Lee

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