Charlie Kirk Killed at 31, Free Speech and Gun Control Concerns Rise

By Robert Rojas

On September 10th, Charlie Kirk, father to two children, political activist, and husband to Erika Frantzve, was shot at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah by a shooter who is yet to be discovered, while debating college students over social issues and economic problems.

Charlie Kirk was the founder of the non-governmental organization Turning Point USA. Turning Point aims to spread mainly conservative ideals and build a grassroots network by hosting events, bringing in speakers, and providing training for young, like-minded activists. 

At 12:10 pm that day, the shot was fired. Upon the sound of the gunshot going off, videos show the swarm of college students and adults in attendance running to safety, not knowing if one of them could be next. He was interned at a hospital not yet specified, minutes later, and received surgery to stop the bleeding in his neck.

Then at 4:40 pm, President Donald Trump confirmed the imminent: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” on his Truth Social account.

Who was Charlie Kirk?

Kirk was mainly known for his political debates with college students at campuses all around the United States, and even in other countries like the United Kingdom. These debates were highly entertaining to watch for millions of viewers from hundreds of countries.

Charlie Kirk amassed a sum total of 1.09 billion views on YouTube, not counting his Instagram, TikTok, X, and even other accounts reposting his content. Charlie Kirk became a very popular name especially during the 2024 presidential election as his way of speaking managed to convince many voters to elect Donald Trump.

Bipartisanship over Political Violence

Even though his views were considered by many to be highly towards conservative values, bipartisan support sparked as a result of his untimely death. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, most commonly known for having very socialistic views – the opposite of Charlie Kirk – still had this to say regarding his death: “Political violence has no place in this country. We must condemn this horrifying attack. My thoughts are with Charlie Kirk and his family.”

Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene interrupted a House oversight committee meeting to hold a moment of silence when she found out about the news. Later in the day she posted “…Charlie championed open dialogue for the good of our nation, and he was killed for it. This is a dark day for America,” on her X account.

Senator Sanders and Representative Greene were not the only people to offer their condolences and condemnation for political violence, hundreds of other democratic and republican congressmen and congresswomen also chimed in. Moments of bipartisanship in a country like ours where politics consume such of our day to day life are often-times rare.

Community Connection

In our community and our school, many students have differing reactions and views towards the death of Kirk and how it is being portrayed.

“…Those who choose not to mourn shouldn’t be attacked for their views. He was a very controversial person and his opinions had a great effect on the political landscape,” said freshman Hector Ramos.

Hector also mentions how the situation has a small irony as “…His own words were, ‘I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other ‘God-given rights.’ Everybody in his party agreed—until it was him who was the recipient.”

 Kirk’s death raises massive concerns both from politicians, activists, or just everyday people regarding gun violence and the First amendment’s freedom of speech.

Debates Over Gun Violence

Gun violence has been an issue on many Americans’ minds for the greater part of a decade now, kicking off greatly due to the Sandy Hook school shooting in December of 2012 which killed 28 people.

Another powerful example of the influence of rising gun violence in the United States happened just over a year ago when then-Former President Donald Trump was campaigning for re-election and was shot through the ear in Butler, Pennsylvania during a rally by 20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks. 

Had that bullet been just inches to the right, the United States would have gone through an unforeseeable election and a potential crisis trying to find a republican nominee. Not only that, but hundreds of millions of Americans would have been in a long period of mourning honoring the death of a President.

A big concern raised by many people now is why was Utah Valley University not metal-detecting bags or people before entering the site where Charlie was assassinated? Could the life of a father have been protected had there been proper laws and regulations in place about gun control?

Debates Over the First Amendment

Another issue raised as a result of Kirk’s death is the debates over the right to freedom of speech as protected by the First Amendment of the United States of America’s Constitution. 

Preceding Kirk’s appearance at the university, a petition was started to ban his presence there and debate with the students of the campus which was signed by nearly 1,000 people. Utah Valley University defended the First Amendment’s right to freedom of speech by allowing for Kirk to show up and continue his scheduled tour by saying they would protect, “…commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”

“I feel that people don’t really take into consideration that we all have a right to speak our opinions freely… Seeing someone in the debate field get murdered is just heartbreaking for the debating world,” said debate club president, sophomore Michael Caceres.

This killing was much more than just the death of a political activist, it also sparked important debates about how we protect expression and human lives simultaneously.