On Wednesday, Sept. 10, far-right political activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while hosting an event at Utah Valley University. He was surrounded by his family, fans, and opposers. 

Charlie Kirk was a conservative influencer and the co-founder of the conservative non-profit Turning Point USA. He was known for his controversial social views on the LGBTQ+ community, the conflict in Palestine, abortion and the Trump administration. While he had a dedicated army of like-minded followers, many found his beliefs to be cruel and unjustified. 

One of Kirk’s most notable efforts as an activist was his serial public debates with college students on their campuses – it was at one of these debates that he was shot and killed.

Kirk’s assassination immediately polarized viewers everywhere. While some saw it as a deserving death, laughing and joking about his circumstances, others saw it as another instance of gun violence and political violence. Kirk’s abrupt, unexpected and thus far unexplained death was a shock to everyone.

What makes this case stand out is not just Kirk’s massive reputation, but his activism for gun rights in the past, even rationalizing deaths due to gun violence.

“I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth the cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” Kirk said at a Turning Point USA event in April of 2023.

 Kirk was a massive advocate against gun control. However, had there been more systems in place to keep firearms regulated, he would likely still be alive. 

Kirk was fatally shot in a school setting surrounded by his loved ones, just like the 96 students that have been injured in school shootings this year, as reported by CNN.

I hope his death can send a message to those who oppose gun control. Gun violence is a massive issue in our country, but this is one of the first times a famous gun rights advocate was on the other side of the bullet. While Kirk’s death was a tragedy, the realization that gun violence can happen to anyone in America should ideally motivate people to advocate for more anti-gun legislation.

Kirk’s death shows nothing more than that until something changes in America, people will continue to face the consequences of gun violence. According to Everytown Research, an average of 125 Americans die from being shot every day. One’s political affiliation, personal beliefs, religion, age, gender, class or race do not matter in the case of gun violence. It won’t matter whether or not you support the unrestricted ownership of guns once you are opposite a speeding bullet.