Over the first six months of 2025, there have been more than 150 politically motivated acts of violence. That’s two times as many as last year.
There’s also no denying that this is a trend, not a diversion from the norm. Just weeks ago, here in Utah, we witnessed the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. Acts of political violence have also cost lives and terrorized families from Washington, D.C., to Pennsylvania to Michigan to Minnesota to California in just the last five years.
We’re writing together, as two state legislators from opposing parties, because we know that the only way to stop political violence and safeguard our country’s freedom of expression is to do it together.
As state legislators, our job is to represent our communities with our voices and our votes, even when we disagree (and trust us, we often do). Similarly, in a democracy like ours, every citizen’s vote and voice as a citizen gives them power. If Americans can’t use our voices as citizens without the threat of intimidation or political violence, we will lose the America we know and love.
As state legislators, we have the opportunity to pass legislation designed to help prevent political violence, but we’re clear-eyed that this isn’t a problem we can just legislate away. The solution is much bigger than any one vote. In our conversations with our constituents and our colleagues, here is what we are urging people to remember:
- It is up to all of us — but especially elected officials — to condemn political violence whenever it arises. Each of us has a major stake in making sure that the way we settle disagreements is with words, not weapons.
- Despite what the internet might tell you, Americans overwhelmingly reject political violence. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was exactly right when he said that conflict entrepreneurs are taking advantage of us. Tech companies benefit when the loudest and most extreme voices capture our attention, but those voices don’t represent where Americans actually are on the question of political violence. In survey after survey, the overwhelming majority of Americans across the political spectrum reject political violence.
- Legislation to counter political violence should not be partisan or repress freedom of speech. The threat of political violence is all too real. It needs to be taken seriously rather than treated as a partisan opportunity to silence speech we don’t like or seek to protect some groups and not others. Our freedoms are only safe when we all have them.
And finally, don’t stop raising your voice. Quit scrolling and talk to your friends and neighbors. Keep speaking up. Decide to run for your city council or state legislature. You might be surprised to find how many of us share the belief that the tragedies we’ve experienced in Utah and so many other communities don’t determine our future. Democracy needs all of us to fight for it, and if we do, there’s no question in our minds that we can have the safe, free America we all need and deserve.