Political Violence Tracker

ATTACKS & INTIMIDATION

Armed political violence poses a growing threat to elections, public officials, election workers, and democratic institutions across the United States. Our political violence tracker documents firearm-involved incidents connected to politics and elections from 2016 through fall 2025, helping to illuminate a disturbing increase in threats, intimidation, shootings, armed protests, and attacks on the democratic process.

This violence should not be treated as normal. As firearms become increasingly visible in political spaces and threats against public officials, election workers, and democratic institutions continue to rise, it is important that we not become numb to attacks on those involved in our democratic process—even those whose views we may strongly oppose. Understanding the scope and nature of armed political violence is a critical first step in addressing it, and this tracker is intended to help make that information more accessible.

Explore below to learn more about the many acts of armed political violence and intimidation in the United States from 2016 to 2025.

Date	City	State	Category	Target	Details

3/7/2016	Sioux Falls	South Dakota	Intimidation	Elected Officials	While at the Minnehaha County Courthouse, a criminal defendant made a series of verbal threats against a judge, including a claim that he was going to put a rifle round “between [the judge’s] eyes.”
6/18/2016	Las Vegas	Nevada	Shooting	Elected Officials	Michael Sandford attempted to seize a Las Vegas police officer’s gun in order to assassinate then presidential candidate Donald Trump at an election rally.
8/19/2016	Murfreesboro	Tennessee	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Keahiokahouna Stewart sent a series of threatening emails and posted threatening videos to Instagram targeting US officials, including Sen. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
11/5/2016	Reno	Nevada	Meeting Disruption	Elected Officials	Then presidential candidate Donald Trump was rushed off stage by the Secret Service while delivering a speech in Reno after someone in the crowd yelled “gun.” No weapon was found.
12/22/2016	Fargo	North Dakota	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Kevin Olson emailed then Senator Heidi Heitkamp, threatening to shoot her in the head, and admitted to owning firearms during the subsequent investigation.
1/17/2017	Kaysville	Utah	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Between 2017 and 2019, a Utah man made more than 2,000 threatening calls to congressional offices, including threats to “shoot [a representative] in the head,” to “put a bullet” in a senator’s head, and claims that he and others would invoke their “second amendment rights” against Democrats.
6/14/2017	Alexandria	Virginia	Shooting	Elected Officials	James Hodgkinson opened fire on a group of Republican members of Congress practicing for a baseball game in Alexandria, resulting in several injuries.
3/20/2018	Louisville	Kentucky	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Republican candidate for Kentucky Secretary of State, Carl Nett, tweeted that he would like to use Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth as target practice.
8/24/2018	Bennington	Vermont	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Max Misch was charged with harassing Vermont’s only Black female legislator and possessing illegal large-capacity gun magazines.
10/1/2018	Unspecified	Florida	Intimidation	Elected Officials	James Patrick Jr. was arrested following Facebook posts threatening to his stash of firearms to kill politicians who voted against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, as well as any police who attempt to apprehend him.
10/24/2018	Charlotte	North Carolina	Intimidation	Election Workers	A Black volunteer working at a polling station in Charlotte was forced to call the police when Jason Donald Wayne hurled racial slurs and threats at the volunteer and exposed his firearm.
10/28/2018	Daytona Beach	Florida	Shooting	Campaign Worker	Guns were fired by an unknown assailant at the Volusia County Republican Party office when no one was present.
11/1/2018	Los Angeles	California	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Richard Phillips pleaded guilty to leaving a voicemail message threatening to kill Rep. Maxine Waters.
11/6/2018	Claysville	Pennsylvania	Intimidation	Election Workers	Christopher Queen was arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot poll workers who told him he was not registered to vote.
2/1/2019	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Christopher Hasson was arrested after he compiled a hit list that included prominent Democrats and media figures. Federal agents found 15 firearms and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition inside his apartment. Hasson identified himself as a white nationalist.
2/1/2019	Cheyenne	Wyoming	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Timothy Cessor stole a .40 caliber pistol and ammunition from his father’s gun safe and began driving from Wyoming to Washington DC to kill then President Donald Trump.
3/1/2019	Palm Beach Gardens	Florida	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Paul Hoeffer made threats against Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Cook County, Illinois, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Threats to Foxx included statement that “Bullets are going to rattle your fucking brain.”
3/21/2019	Addison	New York	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Patrick W. Carlineo Jr. pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and to being a felon in possession of firearms.
8/3/2019	El Paso	Texas	Shooting	Other	Patrick Crusius opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, killing 23 people and injuring 22 others. The victims were primarily Latino, and investigators treated the attack as domestic terrorism and a hate crime after Crusius posted a manifesto citing white nationalist and anti-immigrant views.
1/7/2020	Las Vegas	Nevada	Intimidation	Election Workers	A caller threatened Staci McElyea and other workers in the Nevada Secretary of State’s office, accusing them of “stealing” the election, stating “I hope you all go to jail for treason. I hope your children get molested. You’re all going to fucking die.”
1/20/2020	Richmond	Virginia	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	22,000 people, many of whom were openly armed, gathered to protest gun violence prevention legislation.
1/31/2020	Frankfort	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	The group “We Are KY Gun Owners” held an armed protest at the state capitol building.
2/3/2020	Little Rock	Arkansas	Intimidation	Elected Officials	State Rep. Vivian Flowers and Democratic House candidate Ryan Davis were verbally harassed and shot at while leaving a political fundraiser. Responding officers reportedly drew weapons on Flowers and Davis.
3/2/2020	Reno	Nevada	Intimidation	Election Workers	Registrar of voters Deanna Spikula’s office was flooded with hostile and harassing calls from people convinced she was part of a conspiracy to rig the election against former President Donald Trump.
3/16/2020	Meridian	Mississippi	Shooting	Government Staff	Ernest Edwards shot Chancery Court Judge Charles Smith outside the Lauderdale County Courthouse, though evidence suggests another judge may have been the intended target.
4/24/2020	Madison	Wisconsin	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	About 1500 protesters, some armed with semi-automatic rifles, gathered at the Wisconsin state capitol to protest COVID-19 stay at home orders.
4/30/2020	Lansing	Michigan	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	Armed protesters and militia members in tactical gear rallied against COVID-19 restrictions at the Michigan State Capitol, entering the capitol building (where guns are allowed) and demanding access to the House floor, which was prohibited. A number of armed protesters entered the Senate gallery and shouted at a state senator.
5/2/2020	Carson City	Nevada	Armed Protest	Government Staff	Armed protesters gathered outside the governor’s mansion to call on Governor Steve Sisolak to open all businesses in the midst of COVID-19 shutdowns.
5/24/2020	Frankfort	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	Armed protesters rallied against Governor Andy Beshear due to his position on gun safety and COVID-19 restrictions.
5/29/2020	Oakland	California	Shooting	Government Staff	Steven Carillo and Robert Justus Jr., affiliated with the anti-government Boogaloo Bois group, killed federal security officer Dave Patrick Underwood and wounded another in a drive-by shooting.
6/1/2020	West Valley City & Salt Lake City	Utah	Armed Protest	Other	Yuri Silva and Christian Hernandez were arrested on their way to a George Floyd protest, having been found with multiple firearms after encouraging armed action against police on social media and reportedly listing the names and addresses of specific officers.
6/1/2020	Rapid City	South Dakota	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Lucian Celestine, who was legally prohibited from possessing firearms, acquired a bolt‑action rifle with a scope and ammunition and threatened to shoot then President Donald Trump.
6/6/2020	Ben Lomond	California	Shooting	Government Staff	Steven Carillo, affiliated with the anti-government extremist group Boogaloo Bois, killed Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
6/7/2020	Iowa City	Iowa	Armed Protest	Other	An unnamed man brandished an AR-15 rifle during a protest.
6/7/2020	North Brunswick	New Jersey	Shooting	Government Staff	A gunman posing as a delivery driver attacked the home of Esther Salas, a federal judge, killing her son and wounding her husband.
7/25/2020	Louisville	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Other	The NFAC (“Not Fucking Around Coalition”) held an armed protest in response to the police killing of Breonna Taylor.
7/26/2020	Tyler	Texas	Shooting	Elected Officials	Armed men, several associated with the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood, attacked a rally for a Democratic congressional candidate, wounding one of the candidate’s aides.
8/1/2020	Reno	Nevada	Intimidation	Government Staff	Matthew Carter was sentenced for sending threatening and racist tweets to lawmakers, legislative staff, and the Nevada attorney general.
8/24/2020	Boise	Idaho	Meeting Disruption	Elected Officials	Armed protesters broke into the state House of Representatives during a special legislative session.
9/4/2020	Louisville	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Government Staff	John F. Johnson pointed an AR-15 at Secret Service and Louisville police during a protest in response to the police killing of Breonna Taylor.
9/5/2020	Louisville	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Other	Armed “patriots” group protesters confronted Black Lives Matter activists during a public protest.
9/12/2020	St Paul	Minnesota	Armed Protest	Other	Armed demonstrators gathered for a pro-Trump/anti-COVID-19 restrictions rally.
9/25/2020	Louisville	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Other	Armed Oath Keepers counter-protesters confronted protesters responding to the police killing of Breonna Taylor.
10/1/2020	Lansing	Michigan	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Thirteen men were arrested for a plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. They had met repeatedly for firearms training, combat drills, and practice building explosives. The group also plotted to attack law enforcement officers, threatened to start a civil war “leading to societal collapse,” and planned to kidnap other government officials.
10/13/2020	Richmond	Virginia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Several members of a self-styled militia group were arrested for plotting to abduct Governor Ralph Northam, having met repeatedly for firearm training, combat drills, and to practice building explosives.
11/1/2020	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Philadelphia City Commissioner Lisa Deeley was the subject of numerous Facebook threats relating to her work in administering the 2020 election, including that she would be shot or hung.
11/3/2020	Charlotte	North Carolina	Intimidation	Other	Justin Dunn, who was openly carrying a firearm, which is legal in North Carolina, was arrested for intimidating voters at a polling location.
11/5/2020	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	Armed Protest	Election Workers	Joshua Macias and Antonio Lamotta brought handguns near a vote-counting location following the 2020 presidential election. Police also found a sword, a golf ball launcher, ammunition, and an AM-15 rifle in their vehicle.
11/7/2020	Phoenix	Arizona	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	A group, including armed members of the Proud Boys and Three Percenters militia groups, protested alleged 2020 election fraud outside the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office.
11/7/2020	St Paul	Minnesota	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	Armed protesters gathered in front of Governor Tim Walz’s residence.
11/7/2020	Las Vegas	Nevada	Armed Protest	Election Workers	A small group of armed, pro-Trump “stop the count” protesters shouted at passing cars outside the Clark County election center.
11/10/2020	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Armed QAnon supporters drove into Philadelphia amid vote count conspiracy fears. Several were subsequently arrested for carrying AR-15s without a permit.
12/1/2020	Various	Georgia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	The Georgia Secretary of State, his wife, and other state officials received numerous threats in the aftermath of the 2020 election, including text messages sent to his wife such as “You better not botch this recount. Your life depends on it,” and “Your husband deserves to face a firing squad.”
12/1/2020	Montpelier	Vermont	Intimidation	Election Workers	Vermont’s then Secretary of State Jim Condos said his office received threats explicitly mentioning guns.
12/7/2020	Detroit	Michigan	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	Protesters, some armed, held a rally outside Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s home to protest against Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss.
12/8/2020	Boise	Idaho	Intimidation	Government Staff	Armed protesters gathered outside a county commissioner’s house to protest mask mandates.
12/23/2020	Woonsocket	Rhode Island	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Michael Roy was arrested after making a series of threatening Facebook posts against local government officials and subequently calling police to inform them he would be going to the mayor’s house with loaded guns.
12/25/2020	Louisville	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Government Staff	Addam Turner, member of United Pharoah’s Guard and Boogaloo Bois group, confronted police during a caravan protest while armed.
1/5/2021	Atlanta	Georgia	Intimidation	Election Workers	Chad Stark posted threats against election officials including, “It’s our duty as American Patriots to put an end to the lives of these traitors and take back our country by force… we need to pay a visit to [official] and her family as well and put a bullet her behind the ears.”
1/5/2021	Stuart	Iowa	Intimidation	Elected Officials	An unnamed man left a voicemail at the governor’s office saying she should be hung or shot for treason and that “you need to be put in front of a firing squad” for imposing COVID-19 restrictions.
1/5/2021	Leander	Texas	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Chad Stark posted a message to Craigslist after the 2020 presidential election calling for “Georgia patriots” to kill named public officials and their families. The post referenced a rifle, bullets, and $10,000.
1/6/2021	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	John Wright participated in a “Stop the Steal” riot on January 6, 2021, stating that he planned to return on January 17 with guns. He also posted an image on Facebook promoting an “Armed March on Capitol Hill and All State Capitols” scheduled for January 17, stating “Come armed at your personal discretion.”
1/6/2021	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	Gus Reffitt, a member of the Texas Three Percenters, was arrested for his role in the Capitol Insurrection, which included illegally bringing handguns into the city and inciting violence, including specific actions targeting then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
1/6/2021	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	Christopher Alberts was arrested for his role in the Capitol Insurrection, which including carrying a loaded firerearm and wearing military kit while engaging in the violent protests.
1/6/2021	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	Lonnie Coffman was arrested for his role in the Capitol Insurrection, which included illegally transporting firearms, ammmunition, and other dangerous weapons into the city.
1/6/2021	Louisville	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Other	John Subleski, a member of United Pharoah’s Guard and Boogaloo Bois incited protesters and fired his gun.
1/6/2021	Olympia	Washington	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Armed protesters calling for the 2020 election results to be overturned occupied the steps of the state capitol and breached the gates of the governor’s mansion.
1/7/2021	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr. was arrested for his role in the January 6th riot, including allegedly threatened to shoot then Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and texted about Mayor Muriel Bowser: “I may wander over to the Mayor’s office and put a 5.56 in her skull.” Meredith drove to Washington with an assault-style rifle, a Glock firearm with high-capacity magazines and more than 2,500 rounds of ammunition.
1/8/2021	Brooklyn	New York	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Brendan Hunt made threats on social media to assault and murder members of Congress, specifically mentioning guns, bullets, and shooting.
1/8/2021	Portland	Oregon	Shooting	Government Staff	Cody Melby, upset about the 2020 election results, climbed a security fence and fired five shots into Portland’s federal courthouse.
1/9/2021	Frankfort	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Elected Officials	Protesters held a heavily armed rally outside the Kentucky State Capitol.
1/15/2021	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Wesley Beeler was stopped at a Washington DC checkpoint ahead of Inauguration Day. Police found an unregistered gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his vehicle.
1/28/2021	Laramie	Wyoming	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Christopher Podlesnik was charged with leaving threatening voicemails for a number of federal and state lawmakers on the day of a planned rally in Wyoming, including threats like “You are going to fucking get shot in the fucking back of the head.”
2/23/2021	New York	New York	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Rickey Johnson posted a video on Instagram threatening to execute US Senator Joe Manchin.
2/23/2021	Unspecified	Texas	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Robert Garrison called a local newspaper and threatened to kill multiple county elected officials on more than one occasion.
3/1/2021	Greenleaf	Idaho	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Erik Ehrlin was arrested and sentenced for threatening to shoot federal employees.
3/13/2021	Louisville	Kentucky	Armed Protest	Other	An armed group counter-protested a protest related to the one-year anniversary of the police killing of Breonna Taylor.
9/2/2021	Delta Junction	Alaska	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Jay Johnson left 17 voicemails threatening to kill Alaska’s two US Senators with a .50-caliber firearm.
10/5/2021	Montpelier	Vermont	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Kyle Wolfe was arrested for threatening State House Speaker Jill Krowinski and attempting to confront her at the statehouse. A rifle was found in his vehicle.
1/4/2022	Green River	Wyoming	Intimidation	Government Staff	The Sweetwater County Courthouse was locked down due to threats of gun violence against court employees.
1/22/2022	San Francisco & San Ramon	California	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Erik Triana was convicted of threatening State Senator Scott Wiener and multiple gun charges, including possessing assault weapons and manufacturing ghost guns.
1/25/2022	Hagerstown	Maryland	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Scott Merryman made threats against then President Biden to Secret Service agents. After traveling from Kansas to Maryland, he was arrested with a loaded magazine with three bullets and a spotting scope.
2/14/2022	Louisville	Kentucky	Shooting	Elected Officials	Quintez Brown, a Metro Council candidate and activist, attempted to shoot then Democratic mayoral candidate (now mayor) Craig Greenburg.
4/14/2022	Wilder	Vermont	Intimidation	Other	William Hillard was arrested for possessing explosives and firearms decorated with Nazi paraphernalia and white power stickers, claiming the weapons were for protection from Antifa and Democratic extremists.
5/1/2022	Fond du Lac	Wisconsin	Intimidation	Elected Officials	James Stearns sent emails threatening to shoot state legislators if they passed a bill allowing teachers to be armed, stating he would purchase “the most powerful” gun he could and that “people will hunt you and your family down like an animal.”
5/14/2022	Buffalo	New York	Shooting	Other	Payton Gendron, an 18-year-old white supremacist and believer in the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, carried out a mass shooting at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 Black victims and injuring three others.
6/3/2022	New Lisbon	Wisconsin	Shooting	Elected Officials	Douglas Uhde shot and killed a retired judge at the judge’s home, then shot and killed himself. Uhde also had a list of political targets including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Mitch McConnell, and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.
6/8/2022	Chevy Chase	Maryland	Intimidation	Government Staff	Sophie Roske flew from California to Maryland to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, eventually calling law enforcement to report that she was suffering from homicidal and suicidal thoughts. Roske was found with a firearm, ammunition, and zip ties.
7/1/2022	Phoenix	Arizona	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Between July and November of 2022, Brian Ogstad made repeated online threats against Maricopa County officials and their families, poll workers, and election officials.
8/1/2022	Highland, Utah	Utah	Intimidation	Other	Jack Welchel followed US Senate candidate Evan McMullin and his wife after a campaign event, threatening and attempting to force them off the road while brandishing a firearm.
8/2/2022	Phoenix	Arizona	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Between August and November 2022 Joshua Russell left repeated threatening voicemails for an Arizona election official.
8/4/2022	Cave Creek	Arizona	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Teak Brockbank posted threatening messages, including references to shooting and firearms, directed at multiple political officials.
8/4/2022	Phoenix	Arizona	Intimidation	Election Workers	An unnamed man made violent threats against Maricopa County election workers and officials, (“[Y]ou people are so ducking [sic] stupid. Everyone knows you are lots [sic], cheats, frauds and in doing so in relation to elections have committed treason. You will all be executed. Bang [expletive]!”
8/4/2022	Cortez	Colorado	Intimidation	Election Workers	Between September 2021 and August 2022, Teak Brockbank threatened to kill multiple election officials, judges, and law enforcement officers, in some cases specifically mentioning using a rifle.
8/11/2022	Cincinnati	Ohio	Shooting	Government Staff	Ricky Shiffer attempted an armed breach of the FBI’s Cincinnati field office, fled in his vehicle, and fired shots during a chase befoe being fatally shot by law enforcement.
8/15/2022	Las Vegas	Nevada	Intimidation	Campaign Worker	Armed protesters gathered at the opening of a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee office in Las Vegas.
9/29/2022	New York	New York	Intimidation	Government Staff	Quadri Garnes called the New York State Department of Labor and threatened to shoot employees.
10/1/2022	Bennington	Vermont	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Kevin Hoyt, a former gubernatorial candidate and gun-rights activist, violated a no-stalking order to stay away from former State Rep. Christopher Bates by threatening to shoot Bates on social media.
10/15/2022	West Friendship	Maryland	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Adam Nettina sent an email to a Virginia state representing stating that she “deserved to be shot and hung in the streets” for supporting transgender rights. Nettina also posted a threatening message on social media against a Maryland state representative.
10/18/2022	Hickory	North Carolina	Intimidation	Other	At least one gunshot was fired into the home of then US House candidate Pat Harrigan’s parents.
11/10/2022	Nederland	Texas	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Douglas Casey lost an election and claimed it was stolen from him, subsequently reporting that he had a gun and was “going to take [his opponent] down.”
11/21/2022	Lubbock	Texas	Intimidation	Election Workers	Frederick Goltz threatened to carry out a mass shooting of poll workers and election officials.
12/1/2022	Concord	Massachusetts	Intimidation	Government Staff	John Grace threatened school officials that he would come down to the school and “put two” in someone.
12/4/2022	Albuquerque/North Valley	New Mexico	Shooting	Elected Officials	Republican candidate for state representative Solomon Pena was convicted of contracting four gunmen to shoot at the homes and offices of several Democratic officials following his 2022 election defeat.
12/6/2022	San Francisco & Sacramento	California	Intimidation	Elected Officials	State Senator Scott Wiener received email threats to shoot up his state capitol office and bomb his San Francisco home.
3/10/2023	Unspecified	Alaska	Intimidation	Other	Between March and July of 2023, Panos Anastasiou was arrested for sending over 465 violent, racist, and homophobic messages threatening Supreme Court justices and their families with torture, hanging, and shooting.
3/14/2023	Doylestown	Pennsylvania	Meeting Disruption	Elected Officials	Franklin Castels allegedly brought a gun to a local school board meeting.
4/1/2023	Wichita	Kansas	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Cody McCormick sent a Wichita television station a Facebook message detailing his intention to murder then President Joe Biden, stating “I will get a Greyhound bus ticket and go and shoot him.”
5/1/2023	Enid	Oklahoma	Intimidation	Elected Officials	On Twitter, Tyler Marshall made numerous threats against Governor Kevin Stitt, including “I’m gonna shoot you on the street when I see you,” and “I will be at your next event with a gun. Can’t wait to see your blood.” Marshall also threatened Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Senator Ted Cruz.
5/18/2023	Albuquerque	New Mexico	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Michael Fox left a voicemail at a Texas congresswoman’s office, threatening to “put a bullet” in her face.
6/29/2023	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Taylor Taranto was arrested near former President Barack Obama’s home after live streaming himself walking the area, stating he was trying to get a “good angle on a shot.” His vehicle contained hundreds of rounds of 9 mm ammunition, firearms, and bomb materials.
8/1/2023	Provo	Utah	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Craig Robertson posted threats against then President Joe Biden and others online, including to assassinate the president and vice president and statements that he was “cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle” in anticipation of Biden’s visit to Utah.
8/8/2023	Providence	Rhode Island	Intimidation	Elected Officials	An unidentified man called police and told them he had an AR-15 and three pipe bombs, one of which had been planted at city hall.
8/26/2023	Rio Verde	Arizona	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Between May 2021 and November 2023 Michael Tomasi made online threats of gun violence against various government officials and workers.
9/28/2023	Kenai	Alaska	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Arthur Graham used an online form to threaten to kidnap and injure an unnamed sitting US Senator.
10/1/2023	Palm Bay	Florida	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Edwin Guerrero made threatening social media posts targeting Florida State Rep. Randy Fine. The posts included images of a gun and mutilated body and the messages “This is gonna be Randy very very soon.”
10/10/2023	Edgewater	Georgia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Between October 2023 to January 2025, Seth Jason made eight calls over several months threatening to shoot Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, her family, and her staff.
11/7/2023	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	On the grounds of the US Capitol, Ahmir Merrell was observed by DC police holding an AR-style pistol with a large-capacity magazine. Merrell refused to drop the firearm and told officers words to the effect of “for you to get this gun from me, you are going to have to kill me.”
12/21/2023	Portsmouth	New Hampshire	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Tyler Anderson was charged with sending threats via text message to three different presidential campaigns, including threats to “blow [the] head off” a candidate and conduct a “mass shooting.”
2/1/2024	Grand Forks	North Dakota	Intimidation	Government Staff	Charles Dalzell sent threatening emails to federal officials, referencing a shooting in Minnesota. He then tried to reclaim a seized gun while threatening to “shoot a place up.”
3/1/2024	Marietta	Georgia	Intimidation	Election Workers	Tate Fall, Cobb County’s election director, talked with a poll worker who described being confronted during the state’s presidential primary in March by an agitated voter carrying a gun.
3/27/2024	Harrisburg	Pennsylvania	Intimidation	Election Workers	David Lassiter attempted to enter a polling location with a firearm and acted threateningly, confronting voters and pointing a weapon at a police cruiser. Police later found a semiautomatic rifle, four pistols, a revolver, and a shotgun in his car.
4/29/2024	Montpelier	Vermont	Intimidation	Elected Officials	The statehouse temporarily locked its doors after a caller threatened an active shooting.
6/11/2024	Fort Worth	Texas	Intimidation	Government Staff	Timothy Muller left a threatening voicemail for an FBI agent, then sent text messages threatening the agent and his family, stating “Guns will come out.”
7/1/2024	Columbus	Ohio	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Between July 2024 and May 2025, Ronald Lidderdale sent threatening letters and emails, white powder claimed to be ricin, and a bullet inscribed with an official’s name to law enforcement, public officials, and a media outlet.
7/1/2024	Grand Isle/North Hero	Vermont	Intimidation	Elected Officials	From July 2024 to April 2025, Todd Hoyte repeatedly made violent threats over the phone against Doug DiSabito, State’s Attorney of Grand Isle County.
7/13/2024	Butler	Pennsylvania	Shooting	Elected Officials	Thomas Crooks attempted to assassinate then presidential candidate Donald Trump by firing eight rounds from an AR-15–style rifle at a crowd gathered for a political rally. Crooks killed an audience member and critically injured two others.
7/19/2024	Birmingham	Alabama	Intimidation	Elected Officials	In response to restrictions on Glock switches, an unnamed individual posted a threatening image of a gun alongside a death threat on Facebook. (“[The mayor] can get hit with this switch.”)
7/27/2024	Charlottesville	Virginia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Frank Carillo was arrested for making threats to attack then Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama. Authorities seized a 9 mm pistol, an AR-15, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
9/16/2024	Tempe	Arizona	Shooting	Elected Officials	Between September and October of 2024 Jeffrey Kelly fired at a Democratic National Committee office over 20 times across three separate incidents.
9/16/2024	West Palm Beach	Florida	Shooting	Elected Officials	Ryan Routh attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump while golfing in West Palm Beach.
9/19/2024	Whitesburg	Kentucky	Shooting	Elected Officials	Sheriff Shawn Stines fatally shot District Judge Kevin Mullins in a courthouse chamber.
10/12/2024	Las Vegas	Nevada	Intimidation	Other	Vem Miller was arrested with loaded firearms, multiple passports bearing different names, and an unregistered vehicle at a checkpoint ahead of a rally by then presidential candidate Donald Trump.
11/1/2024	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	Shooting	Election Workers	Nasir Tawhedi obtained AK-47 rifles and ammunition with the intent of committing a terrorist attack in the name of ISIS on Election Day.
11/3/2024	Rochester	Minnesota	Intimidation	Election Workers	Timothy Kearney was arrested at a polling location two days before Election Day, after he allegedly threatened to shoot all Democrats at a Rochester polling place.
11/5/2024	Indianapolis	Indiana	Intimidation	Election Workers	A voter wearing MAGA apparel became belligerent after being told political attire wasn’t allowed, threw their hat at poll worker, and removed their shirt to reveal two handguns and a knife.
11/5/2024	Various	Maine	Intimidation	Election Workers	Swatting incidents targeted multiple Maine high schools, several of which served as polling locations.
11/5/2024	Fowler	New York	Intimidation	Election Workers	Paul Lamson returned to a polling place with a gun after poll workers told him he wasn’t registered to vote and offered him an affidavit ballot.
1/2/2025	Las Cruces	New Mexico	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Tyler Leveque posted multiple social media videos and messages threatening to kill President Donald Trump and others at an upcoming rally. He had recently purchased a firearm.
1/15/2025	Butler	Pennsylvania	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Shawn Monper was charged with making threats on YouTube against President Donald Trump, other federal officials, and ICE agents, including “I have bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office,” and “Eventually im going to do a mass shooting.”
3/3/2025	Dubuque	Iowa	Meeting Disruption	Elected Officials	An unnamed individual attempted to bring a loaded gun into a city council meeting in an effort to, “put them on notice” and to protest his interactions with the Police Department and other government agencies.”
3/27/2025	Castro Valley	California	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Between March and June 2025 Geoffrey Giglio left several threatening voicemails for Rep. Swalwell referencing a .308 caliber rifle.
3/29/2025	McKinney	Texas	Intimidation	Government Staff	Robert King posted a threat on social media to open fire on any ICE agents he saw in his neighborhood.
4/1/2025	Williston Area	North Dakota	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Between April and May of 2025, Ian Patrick Stewart threatened to kill former President Barack Obama and made additional threats during an armed standoff after breaking into a historic site.
4/11/2025	Lilburn	Georgia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Aliakbar Amin was arrested in Georgia for making threats that included images of firearms against Tulsi Gabbard and her husband.
5/15/2025	Unspecified	South Carolina	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Roxie Wolfe was arrested for posting a threat on X to assassinate Rep. Nancy Mace.
6/2/2025	Unspecified	Hawaii	Intimidation	Government Staff	Ryan Baxter sent threatening texts and voicemails to a Hawaiicongressional staffer, threatening to shoot them and their spouse.
6/14/2025	Champlin, Maple Grove, New Hope & Brooklyn Park	Minnesota	Shooting	Elected Officials	Vance Boelter shot and killed State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and wounded State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Boelter targeted two other public officials, but they were not home at the time, and had lists of many other apparent targets.
6/18/2025	Memphis	Tennessee	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Trenton Abston was charged with stalking, aggravated criminal trespass, and attempted kidnapping after approaching Mayor Paul Young’s home.
6/24/2025	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Jason White attempted to bring a ghost gun into a US House office building.
6/27/2025	District of Columbia	District of Columbia	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Carl Montague posted threats to shoot and kill President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Stephen Miller on Truth Social.
7/10/2025	Butte City	Idaho	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Mayor Kevin Turner brandished a firearm during a city council meeting and attempted to remove a council member.
8/8/2025	Atlanta	Georgia	Shooting	Government Staff	Patrick White opened fire with multiple firearms at CDC headquarters from across the street, firing hundreds of rounds that struck several government buildings and fatally shooting a police officer.
8/15/2025	Hoover	Alabama	Intimidation	Elected Officials	An unnamed individual posted online threats against a city council candidate on Facebook. (“Are you be shot to death [sic].”)
9/10/2025	Orem	Utah	Shooting	Other	During a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck and killed by a gunman firing from a rooftop roughly 130–200 yards away, in what authorities described as a politically motivated assassination.
9/10/2025	Jamestown	New Mexico	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Jace Allen posted violent threats online following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, including a threat against an Ohio city councilor and threats to conduct a mass shooting.
9/24/2025	Dallas	Texas	Shooting	Government Staff	Joshua Jahn fired at an immigration facility, intending to attack ICE agents, but shot detainees instead.
10/20/2025	New York	New York	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Christopher Moynihan, a pardoned January 6 rioter, was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
12/1/2025	Payson	Utah	Intimidation	Elected Officials	Douglas Pace made threats against government officials during dozens of calls to government offices, including “Once I get my hands on a gun, I will shoot Gov. Cox, [Lt. Gov.] Deirdre Henderson, and [Utah Senate President] Stuart Adams in the head. They need to be erased from the earth because Jesus is coming.”

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Methodology

The GIFFORDS Political Violence Tracker is intended to serve as a centralized tool for researchers, journalists, advocates, and members of the public seeking to better understand the scope and nature of armed political violence in the United States.

This is not a comprehensive database of all incidents of political violence during this period. While we took care to identify and include qualifying incidents based on publicly available information, tracking armed political violence presents inherent challenges. Many incidents are never publicly reported, receive only limited local news coverage, or lack sufficient publicly available details to verify relevant facts. As a result, some incidents that should qualify may not be reflected in our tracker.

Entries were compiled primarily through a review of publicly available news reports, court filings, criminal complaints, indictments, and related legal documents. To be included, an incident generally had to involve:

A firearm, including both attempted and actual shootings, armed intimidation, armed protests, or firearm-related threats. Incidents that did not involve a firearm or other armed conduct were not included.
A political nexus, meaning the conduct was motivated by political ideology, targeted a political actor, candidate, elected official, election worker, campaign worker, government official, or democratic institution, or was otherwise connected to an election or political process.

When possible, listed dates reflect the date of the underlying incident itself. In some cases, precise dates were difficult to determine because conduct occurred over a period of weeks or months, or because publicly available reporting identified only an arrest, charge, or court date with specificity.

For incidents involving threats or other remote conduct, listed locations generally reflect the location of the individual engaging in the conduct, rather than the location of the victim, who was often based in another jurisdiction. This data is updated periodically and is not maintained as a real-time tracker.

Questions? Reach out to our team at lawcenter@giffords.org.

SPOTLIGHT

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