A Democratic congressman has called for drones to be used to foil assassination attempts at public events in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.
New York representative Ritchie Torres said on Monday that he would introduce a bill in the House of Representatives this week ordering the Department of Homeland Security to study the possibility.
“Common sense dictates that drone technology should be harnessed to scan every elevated structure with a line of sight to a target,” said Torres in an interview with Axios.
“If drones can enable the early detection and prevention of assassination attempts, why not use them? Better to have vigilant eyes in the sky than to remain blind to would-be assassins.”
His comments came after MAGA firebrand Charlie Kirk was shot dead during a speech at Utah Valley University last Wednesday at the age of 31, setting off a wave of mourning and conservative calls for revenge.
Although the motives of Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, remain unclear, the Trump administration has blamed “left-wing extremism” and announced a crackdown on progressive non-profits, while seeking to punish anyone perceived to disrespect Kirk’s memory.
Meanwhile, some members of Congress have cancelled public events as legislators debate how to better protect themselves and other figures from America’s endemic gun violence.
Threats against members of Congress, as logged by the U.S. Capitol Police, rose by 18 percent between 2023 and 2024, marking the highest total since 2021.
Yet House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that giving all members a full team of security guards would cost “billions” and is “not a possibility”.
Ritchie Torres, a centrist Democrat who represents a large patch of the Bronx in New York City, believes that drones could provide one answer.
For now, his bill only calls for DHS to study the feasibility of using more drones. If that actually happened, it’s not yet clear who would pay for it or which government agencies, federal or local, would be responsible.
Torres previously worked with New York Republican Mike Lawler to pass a House bill giving all presidents and presidential candidates equal protection from the Secret Service.
