Explainer: How common is violence against members of Congress?
Q. How common is violence against members of Congress?
A. Violence used against members of Congress, their staffs and their families is not commonplace but it is not unheard of. With the assault on the U.S. Capitol, and the recent attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, people are concerned about increasing levels of violence in the U.S. political system.
Recent measure of public opinion would seem to suggest that fear is well-grounded. Earlier this year, the COVID States Project asked 23,000 people in the United States if it is "ever justifiable to engage in violent protest against the government?" They found nearly 1 in 4 thought it was justifiable. While the majority reject violence, there is a sizable number who do not.
America’s political history has its share of violence. In 1791, after Congress passed the Whiskey Act, a mob of angry people attacked tax officers, broke into homes, and burned down the home of a person who was hiding a federal marshal. Thousands marched through Pittsburgh for succession. It took a force of 13,000 troops to quell the Whisky Rebellion. Interestingly, President George Washington pardoned two members of the rebellion who were convicted of treason.
Members of Congress have been the target of violence, and from time-to-time Congress has enacted laws and rules to limit violence and protect members. Congress banned dueling in the 19th century after Jonathan Cilley of Maine was killed in a duel with U.S. Rep. William J. Graves of Kentucky. After the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, lawmakers made it a federal offense to assassinate, kidnap, or assault a member of Congress. In 2001, Congress started screening mail, after anthrax was found in letters sent to the offices of Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota.
Thousands of people have served in Congress since 1789, and there have been at least 20 instances of attacks targeted against members that can be documented, though the actual number could be much higher. Nine members of Congress have been wounded and five have been killed. It’s difficult to be precise about violence against members of Congress, since the members can be at events and rallies where violence breaks out or where violence is near and related. In addition, members of Congress, like each of us, can be the victim or random violence or participate in violence unrelated to their status as an elected official.
Violence directed at members of Congress can result in the death or injury to others, including staffers and law enforcement. When a gunman was able to enter the Capitol in 1998, two members of the United States Capitol Police, Pvt. 1st Class Jacob Chestnut, and Detective John Gibson, responded to the incident and were killed. In 2011, U.S. Rep. Gabbi Giffords was gravely wounded by a gunman at a “Congress On Your Corner” constituent event in Tucson, Arizona. Congressional staff member, Gabriel Matthew Zimmerman and five other people were killed in the incident and another 12 were injured.
Many probably remember the shooting in the summer of 2017 at the baseball field at Eugene Simpson Park in Alexandria, Virginia. A gunman opened fire on members of Congress who were practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity. House GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and four others were wounded. The game went on as planned and raised nearly $1 million for charity.
Kevin Wagner is a noted constitutional scholar and political science professor at Florida Atlantic University. The answers provided do not necessarily represent the views of the university. If you have a question about how American government and politics work, email him at kwagne15@fau.edu or reach him on Twitter @kevinwagnerphd. You can read past columns here: https://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/?q=kevin+wagner
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: The Civics Project explainer: How common is political violence?
