Trump was shot at 2 days ago, but these Republicans aren't fazed

People attending theRepublican National Convention passed through metal detectors and had their belongings searched at security checkpoints in Milwaukee on Monday, just two daysafter an attempted assassination on former U.S. president Donald Trump rattled the party and prompted discussions and concernsabout security at the event.

For the most part, it was business as usual: long lines of pre-vettedjournalists and volunteers, wearing badges allowing them entrance,waited to go through standardsecurity checkpoints nearthe Fiserv Forum, where the conventionisheld. Groups of police officers congregated on street corners leading up to the arena. A police dog stood dutifully by a van, awaiting orders from its wrangler.

But outside the Forum, Republican delegates and convention-goers who spoke with CBC News said they felt the shooting had changed the mood of the convention, invigorating the party's base.

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Delegates expect tighter security

"I think it changes the scope of the whole election," said Terry Castro, a convention delegate from Tampa, Fla. "I think this is going to consolidate the Republican Party, way, way more than what it could have ever been."

She said the convention was more exciting becausethe base was energized by Trump's response to the shooting and partly because of the judicial decision to dismiss the case against the former president for his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

She observed that security seemed tighter than the last Republican convention she attended in 2016, but that it made her feel more comfortable.

"Considering what happened, that's only natural," Castro said. "Almost everywhere there's a police presence, and it really does make you feel like you're in this little envelope and very safe."

Beth Veneto, a Republican delegate from Quincy, Mass., said the shooting made her "want to stand up not down."

"Alot of people [are] like, 'Oh my gosh. I don't knowif I want to go here or do this.' This is the time for America, for everybody, to stand up.

"It makes me more empowered, and to see Trump pumping his fist like that. I mean, he's a true hero and a true patriot."

Secret Service 'confident' in security plans

During a security briefing on Sunday, members of the Secret Service said they didn't anticipate a need to beef up security in the aftermath of the Butler, Penn., shooting, which killed one attendee and injured Trump when a bullet grazed his ear. The gunman was killed by the Secret Service.

"We are confident in the security plans that are in place for this event, and we're ready to go. It's been an 18-month process," saidAudrey Gibson-Cicchino, a Secret Service co-ordinator for the Republican National Convention.

"We're not anticipating any changes to our operational security plans for this event."

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Wisconsin is an open-carry state. Guns aren't permitted inside the convention's security perimeter, which closes off several blocks surrounding the convention area and requires entry through checkpoints.

People can carry firearms outside those boundaries which hascaused some concern in the aftermath of the shooting. Wisconsin's Democraticgovernor Tony Eversreportedly requested that firearms be banned near the vicinity of the RNC, but that could contradict state law.

Law enforcement agents milled about the area outside the Forum. And for every Secret Service agent, there were additional officers from local Milwaukee police, from the state police force, Homeland Security, and others still from differentU.S. states, including California and Indiana.

Heavy police presence

Several out-of-state police officers told CBC News that they were deployed to the area on a "mutual aid" request well before the shooting incident during Trump's Pennsylvania rally on Saturday. It's standard practice to bulk up convention security with police officers from other states.

Several blocks away from the Fiserv Forum, hundreds of people gathered fora protest organized by The Coalition toMarch on the RNC to draw attention to the Israel-Hamas war, abortion rights and immigration rights.

Asked whether the shooting on Saturday would change the tone of the protest, Milwaukee resident Charlie Moe, who was attending the demonstration, told CBC Newshe didn't think it would. However, he saidprotestors were "a bit more concerned about police presence."

Several locals who spoke to CBC News following the shooting on Saturday eveningsaidthey planned to stay away from the convention area entirely, while others expected more security measures.

"I'm sure they will tighten the perimeter. That being said, I assume the standard procedure is already fairly on top of security," said Milwaukee resident Dan Feuer, who was walking around the downtown area onSaturday evening.

"I'm not exactly expecting a lockdown."