Charlie Kirk, conservative influencer and spokesperson, was shot and killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Kirk was 31 when he was killed, leaving behind a wife and two children.
Many across the political divide offered condolences to Kirk’s family. Bernie Sanders, the democratic -socialist senator from Vermont, made a post condemning political violence, even against those he may disagree with.
Sanders was not the only person offering his thoughts for Kirk’s family. Kamala Harris, former vice president of the United States, shared a similar message alongside conservatives during a time of political turmoil and fear.
When reading through former high school classmates’ Instagram posts, I came across the same thing. Words and sentiments consisting of phrasing like “Regardless of your political beliefs…” and “anyone who wishes death on a man with a family is a part of the problem.”
There was something incredibly revealing about the sentiment. Of course, its base message is correct. Political violence of all kinds is deplorable. No one should be killed for expressing political beliefs.
However, the one thing young conservatives refused to say or even acknowledge wereas the words “gun violence.” Why? When the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was shot in an assassination attempt in 2024, posts seemed to exclude the same idea.
Guns do not care if you’re Republican or Democrat. They don’t care if you’re a child in a school or a presidential candidate. But Republicans do care.
When Democratic Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman, her husband and her dog were shot and killed in their home in June, there were no social media posts.
There was nothing but silence from conservatives who are posting about how despicable politically motivated killings are now that it’s one of their own.
We live in a time where violence is always looming.
Where Palestinians are being carpet bombed in hospitals, and there are domestic attacks on schools consistently making headlines. To ask for sympathy for a man representing the political ideologies of one particular group of people without acknowledging the violence guns and our current administration is causing to civilians is in itself an act of violence.
Feel sympathy for Kirk and his family. Condemn it on social media and in-person. But to condemn the shooting of one is to condemn the shooting of all. Utilize critical thinking skills and integrity when discussing gun violence, lest you implicate yourself in accusing the left of being heartless in the face of death.
