Now, in the aftermath of the Arizona shootings, lawmakers and those responsible for their safety are confronting the issue of how to gauge the risks posed by people they might have shrugged off in the past while maintaining open channels to the public....
Read more …Now, in the aftermath of the Arizona shootings, lawmakers and those responsible for their safety are confronting the issue of how to gauge the risks posed by people they might have shrugged off in the past while maintaining open channels to the public.
“In each district you represent your share of unstable people,” Representative Jack Kingston, Republican of Georgia, said Sunday as he and other House members pulled for the recovery of Representative Gabrielle Giffords and struggled with how to respond to the shootings. “Now you are aware that they do show up at your town hall meetings and maybe they are not all harmless.”
While representatives of the United States Capitol Police and the office of the House sergeant-at-arms told lawmakers that the attack on Ms. Giffords was not part of a wider threat, they are urging them to review their security arrangements, make contact with local law enforcement officials and name a staff member as liaison with law enforcement.
On Wednesday, the Capitol security agencies are to join the F.B.I. in conducting a joint security briefing for Republicans and Democrats, who acknowledge new worries about their safety — and that of their families and staff members.
[excerpts are taken from New York Times article linked below, read through to understand more about the issue]
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