Wisconsin Republican leader says he doesn't want to 'fortify' the state Capitol
The highest-ranking Republican in the Wisconsin Assembly said Thursday that he doesn't want to “fortify” the state Capitol, which is one of the country's most accessible statehouses, but that lawmakers are looking at ways to bolster safety in other areas such as at officeholders' homes.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos' comments came a day after the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah and three months after the targeted shootings of two Minnesota state lawmakers. Vos was asked about security before the Wisconsin Assembly met to vote on a series of bills.
Vos said he doesn't want to “fortify a single building to make people feel safer when the reality is that most of the violence that has occurred has not been inside a government building."
Legislatures in most states have finished meeting for the year, but those like Wisconsin's that were still in session in June did take steps to bolster security immediately after the Minnesota attacks, which happened at the lawmakers' homes. Numerous states took action to protect lawmakers' personal information.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/09/11/wisconsin-republican-leader-says-he-doesnt-want-to-fortify-the-state-capitol