Stomping a lilac stiletto, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned political violence Friday following the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk.

“We have got to put an end to gun violence in our country,” Pelosi said during an event in Baltimore County.

Preventing politically inspired attacks is a subject near and dear to Pelosi’s heart, the California congresswoman said.

“Our home was invaded by someone out to get me and got my husband, and it’s a tragedy for our family and traumatic for our children,” she said of the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi in the couple’s San Francisco home, which left him with a fractured skull. “We just have to change the vitriolic nature of our debate.”

The native daughter of Baltimore spent Friday morning at the Fire Museum of Maryland in Lutherville to tour a recently restored 1956 fireboat named after her father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., who served in Congress and later as mayor of Baltimore from 1947 to 1959.

On board the now landlocked vessel, Pelosi smiled with delight as she gripped the steering wheel of the “Tommy.”

“This is a first for me,” said Pelosi, 85.

‘Double down on civic engagement’

Inside the museum, former U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin encouraged Marylanders not to be intimidated from being involved in politics.

“We need to double down on civic engagement,” he said. “But we got to deal with civil discourse. And that’s been the challenge bringing our country together.”

Last week, President Donald Trump, who has escalated his rhetoric against Baltimore in recent weeks, said he would send the National Guard to what he has called a crime-ridden “hellhole” — even though Baltimore is experiencing historic reductions in homicides as well as robberies, auto thefts and sexual assaults.

Pelosi’s brother, Tommy D’Alesandro III, also served as mayor of Baltimore. The younger D’Alesandro was in office during the riots that followed the 1968 assassination of civil rights champion Martin Luther King Jr.

At that time, then-Gov. Spiro Agnew mobilized the National Guard and sent troops into the city to restore order.

“I do not think some of the rhetoric that is coming out of the White House is encouraging ... but I don’t want people to be afraid,” Pelosi said. “The most important thing in all of this is unity. I’ve said to the caucus many times: Our diversity is our strength, our unity is our power.”

‘Bridge too far’

Multiple Baltimore County elected officials attended Pelosi’s fireboat visit and expressed their concerns about recent political violence — from Kirk to bomb threats in the Maryland General Assembly and a lockdown at the U.S. Naval Academy on Thursday.

County Councilman Julian Jones said that threats are pervasive, even at the local level.

The Randallstown Democrat explained that his office recently received threats from residents who disagreed with his opinions about who should be appointed inspector general of Baltimore County.

“When somebody wants to harm you as a result of your [beliefs], that’s just a bridge too far for me,” Jones said. “Mr. Kirk ... I denounce pretty much everything he says, but I wouldn’t condone or support or [want to] see anyone harm the guy.”

Kirk’s shooting Wednesday while he addressed an audience at Utah Valley University also concerns other local officials, including County Executive Kathy Klausmeier.

“It gives me great pause,” she said. “I’m very glad I have police officers that guard me.”

County Councilman Izzy Patoka said he wishes the country could unify in the wake of tragedy as they did after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, 24 years ago.

“In many respects we’ve lost our way,” he said.

Moving forward

Pelosi encouraged her colleagues and residents across the Baltimore area to demand action from their elected representatives.

Next to an image of her father and mother dedicating the fireboat, the former speaker reflected on the other day when the U.S. House of Representatives held a moment of silence for Kirk after legislators found out he was shot.

“Somebody on the Republican side said, ‘We should be praying! We should be praying!’” said Pelosi, referencing Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert’s remarks. “Well, I’m a big believer in prayer ... but we have to put an end to access to guns in our society.”

A fierce advocate for gun safety, Pelosi said she’s still haunted by the mass shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis late last month that killed two young children and injured 21 others during a Mass packed with elementary school students.

“I am still heartbroken about the little children who were saying prayers in church in Minnesota and they were shot through the window,” the congresswoman said.

“That’s what we have to put a stop to,” Pelosi added.

Pelosi, a Democrat, has served in Congress since 1987. She is the only woman to have served as speaker, a post she held from 2007 to 2011 and then again from 2019 to 2023.