We Need Gun Safety Ahead of Elections in the U.S.

By Tim Carey

Three years after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the U.S. finds itself at a crossroads of democracy. Inflamed by inciteful rhetoric, a “deeply disturbing spike” in threats against elected officials and perceived political foes has prompted increased attention from the Justice Department. These threats are made all the more chilling when coupled with permissive access to firearms in the U.S., the display of firearms in public, and all too often, their use.

Our nation’s election officials and poll workers already find themselves squarely in the sights of those seeking to undermine democracy through intimidation, notably MAGA politicians and their followers. A 2022 poll from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law found one in six election officials say they have been threatened for their work. More than half voiced concerns about the safety of fellow election workers. The same poll found 30 percent of officials knew of one or more election workers who left their position in part because of fear for their safety. A jury also recently awarded Georgia election workers $148 million in damages because of Rudy Giuliani’s false conspiracy theories that led to racist threats and harassment after the 2020 election. Given these facts, it stands to reason that the threat of armed intimidation can make people less likely to participate in our democratic process, as either candidates, poll workers or voters.

In political spaces, firearms endanger both public health and elections. Despite the spiraling threats and angry rhetoric of recent years, political violence, especially with firearms, is not a foregone conclusion in the U.S. Elected officials can and must act before this year’s…