Charlie Kirk assassination rocks Capitol Hill, heightens lawmakers' security fears

One member of Congress described a "somber atmosphere" during the House's evening vote series as legislators reckoned with the tragedy in Utah - which resurfaced concerns about their own safety in what has become an emotionally charged political landscape.

"If we don't do something about this, a member of Congress is going to get killed," Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. "People in my family asked me today not to run for re-election. I mean, they're scared."

Lawmakers have been forced to reckon with their own safety on multiple occasions in recent memory. 

Both Fine and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital they would be speaking with the Capitol sergeant-at-arms about getting increased security.

Mace said she and many of her colleagues would likely now "pause outdoor events" for the time being.

"They almost killed Donald Trump, they killed Charlie Kirk, both outdoors," she said.

Fine said, "I will probably, you know, stay in the bubble more in Washington than I might otherwise."

Others, like Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., suggested lawmakers and other political figures should be allowed more lax firearm permissions, despite Washington, D.C.'s strict gun laws.

"I know there's 435 of us. It's kind of hard, but each and every one of us are out there in the public, and there's crazy people out there," Gimenez said.

He added, "I hope it doesn't happen, but there may be a tragedy, and then things will change. And I hope things will change before you have a tragedy."

A second House Republican told Fox News Digital that they would also be limiting outdoor events but was skeptical of the feasibility of protecting all members of Congress when they are back in their home districts.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Thursday morning that he's heard from "many members on both sides of the aisle" about concerns from themselves and their loved ones about their safety.

"We're in a deliberate review process right now to determine what measures are appropriate, how much we can allocate for that," Johnson said.

A third House Republican told Fox News Digital they were "devastated" by Kirk's killing and said they had been gradually increasing their own security since the assassination attempts on Trump in 2024.

"Our office steadily increased its safety protocols after the attempted assassination of POTUS last year, and we have steadily increased those precautions throughout this year as we have observed increased emotions and heightened tensions while at public events. We were already using security for most public and outdoor events, and we will continue to do so," they said via text message.

Others told reporters Wednesday that they, too, were concerned for themselves but declined to elaborate in the immediate wake of Kirk's death.

"We don't have enough resources to protect the people who are threatened around here. But I don't want to make it about us right now. This is just, it's awful," said Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.

Fox News' Tyler Olson contributed to this report.