As Wisconsin prepares to host the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week, the news that former President Donald Trump was apparently shot Saturday at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, prompted swift reactions from elected officials.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos posted on X:
“Glad President Trump is safe and our brave law enforcement officers acted quickly to avoid further bloodshed.”
Calling the shooting an “assassination attempt,” Vos said it’s “a dark moment for our country. I’m praying for President Trump and call on our nation to come together and denounce this cowardly attack on democracy.”
Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer said in a statement: “I condemn this act of political violence in the strongest terms. Our democracy is fragile, and violence is never the answer. I wish Donald Trump a full recovery. My thoughts are with all of those impacted by this violence.”
Gov. Tony Evers wrote on his official X account:
“My thoughts are with President Trump and all of the folks attending today’s rally in Pennsylvania.
“Thank you to the first responders who acted quickly, putting themselves and their safety at risk in order to respond to a horrific act of violence and keep people safe.”
The Trump campaign has stated that Trump will still attend the RNC.
Reince Priebus, Chairman of the MKE 2024 Host Committee, released the following statement: “President Trump is in my prayers after surviving this assassination attempt. We are also heartbroken that reports indicate that at least one innocent person has been killed and perhaps others have been injured. This horrific violence has no place in America.”
“Guests have already begun to arrive in Wisconsin,” Priebus added, “and we look forward to working with the Republican National Committee to welcome everyone to Milwaukee this week.”
Before the apparent, shooting, joint threat assessment created by the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee Southeastern Wisconsin Threat Analysis Center had already placed law enforcement officials on high alert for the RNC.
The RNC is classified as a National Special Security Event (NSSE), which means the Secret Service manages planning, coordinating, and implementing security operations for the event, working together with local law enforcement agencies. In June, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle met with leaders of the FBI, Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee Fire Department and other experts to discuss the security plan for the convention, which the law enforcement agencies have been jointly planning over the last year.
In the difficult security zone immediately surrounding the convention site, the Secret Service is in charge, credentials are required and firearms are banned.
Earlier this year, Milwaukee Common Council members tried to ban guns inside the RNC’s gentle security zone but were unable to enact the rules because of state law.
Wisconsin is an open carry state, and proposed legislation to tighten gun control has been met with stiff opposition from Republican lawmakers. State law prevents all city and local governments from prohibiting the possession or act of carrying legal firearms.
“We are at the mercy of state law for this,” Nick DeSiato, chief of staff for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, said in May.
Firearms prohibited under state law won’t be allowed in the security footprint of the RNC. Those include weapons like machine guns, short-barreled shotguns, short-barreled rifles, and suppressors which are more commonly known as “silencers.”
On Thursday, just a few days before the start of the convention, council members proposed banning bump stocks, an attachment that allows guns to fire faster, at the convention, but were advised by the city attorney that the ordinance would not be enforceable because of state law.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said in a statement, “There’s no space, absolutely none, for this sort of violence in America. No one should be shot –not like this. Not kids, not churchgoers, and not a candidate for President of the United States. We must demand peace, whether it is in the political sphere or in homes and neighborhoods everywhere.”
In May Evers declared a state of emergency for the RNC, which allows the National Guard to assist in providing security for the convention.
The declaration also facilitates cooperation between local and out-of-state law enforcement agencies. As many as 4,500 law enforcement officers could come to assist the convention. So far, local and state law enforcement agencies from Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, and North Carolina have finalized agreements to assist with convention security.
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