“I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our God given rights,” Charlie Kirk said on April 23, 2023, during a Turning Point USA Faith event.
That’s what I really want to focus on; the bigger issue at hand is that gun violence impacts everyone. Kirk devoted his career to promoting the Second Amendment and protecting that right, and even he became one of its victims.
The irony of this quote after the events that took place on Sept. 10 is definitely not lost on me. His death could have very well even been prevented had he been on the side of gun reform. He died by the very issue he was talking about, but his death serves no good.
I was waiting for the Blue Banner meeting to start when my friend texted me the news that Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University after being asked a question about transgender gun violence. I was not entirely shocked.
Kirk was a very right-wing political activist and influencer known for being a close ally of President Trump. I am not here to talk shit about Kirk or against his views, but let’s be clear, I did not support him.
Nor do I have sympathy for the man who spoke against multiple marginalized groups and negatively impacted their communities, mine included. However, my heart goes out to his wife and children.
To support gun rights and say it’s unfortunate we have gun-related deaths each year to protect that right, I do find it bizarre that he died due to the issue he defended. If it were a conservative who shot him, would they claim mental illness? If it were a liberal, what would this do to push for gun reform? Would the parties switch and conservatives start to support reform since one of their own was killed or will liberals be at blame and called hypocrites for one of their own going against what they fight for?
I have so many questions and I don’t think enough people are considering the political ramifications this has for the foreseeable future.
While his death is somewhat ironic, I do not condone or support gun violence in any shape or form.
His children deserve a world where their father’s hateful views do not come true. They did not deserve for their father to be murdered while trying to speak freely.
He will likely become a martyr to the conservatives who support him and his name will fuel even more hatred and separation between parties. As a queer and trans American, this scares me.
The very groups he spoke out against could become the target of more oppressive legislation than we have been seeing lately, and God forbid if the shooter is a person of color or part of a minority group.
Violence does not solve anything. His death does not solve anything. He may have been a bad person and one who decided college students were fun to argue with. He may have openly supported the occasional gun violence to protect his rights, but to be shot while trying to freely speak his views shows a bigger issue in our society.
His death means we cannot safely have political discourse without the possibility of death. No matter how awful the opinion of the speaker is, our country has protected freedom of speech. If you can be killed for speaking on your views, we are not a free country.
I fear that this will cause and excuse more political violence in the future. No matter what side you are on, no one deserves to be killed in such a violent manner.
I hate that it came down to a life being taken but maybe the side who have continually been blind to the issue will hear us now that one of their own has become a victim of this epidemic.
Whether you were a fan of him or hated Kirk, no matter which side you support, it is in the best interest of everyone to fight for and demand gun reform.
Demand gun reform for his wife, his children, our families and our future generations.
