Shock and sadness

The assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) has stunned the Capitol Hill community and the nation. 

Many scheduled events in Washington have been postponed as lawmakers mourn the six people who lost their lives in the shooting, including an aide to Giffords, Gabe Zimmerman. 

{mosads}Lawmakers are also grieving over the death of Ashley Turton, a former chief of staff to Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). Turton, the wife of White House aide Dan Turton, died in a car fire early Monday morning. 

Over the weekend, House Democrats and Republicans held a conference call to discuss the security of members and their constituents at public events held in their districts. Lawmakers say it was the first such bipartisan, conference-wide call since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

The discussion of security will continue on Wednesday as House lawmakers hold a bipartisan meeting on the issue. Various members have called for a range of responses, including special treatment for lawmakers at airports, a bill that would make it a crime to threaten legislators and coordination with local police on public events held back home. 

Others have cautioned about responding too quickly and too broadly to the actions of a madman. 

On Monday, President Obama observed a nationwide moment of silence. Later in the day, a prayer service was held on Capitol Hill to pray for the Giffords’s recovery and remember the slain victims of Saturday’s shooting.

A planned House floor vote this week to repeal the healthcare reform law has been postponed, as have many fundraisers.

Debates on gun control and political rhetoric will rule the cable news shows for days, if not weeks, to come. 

Asked during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about the political climate, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said, “We are in a dark place in this country right now. The hostility is here. People want to deny it — it is real.”

There is no proof that Jared Loughner, who has been charged in the Tucson, Ariz., shooting, had a political motive. 

Still, death threats against members have increased over the last couple of years. That fact, coupled with the shooting, has caused some members to call on their colleagues, as well as outside activists, to make their exchanges more courteous and less violent in metaphor.