Charlie Kirk: An Open Process

Making sense of violence and the state of our nation

By Nic Longstreet

OREM, Utah – A man was shot today. Charlie Kirk, a well-known, controversial, conservative debater and CEO of Turning Point USA was killed at his outdoor event at Utah Valley University. 

A mix of emotions are present. I never cared for Kirk, his views, or him as a person. I often avoided and would counter his points, which were pretty conservative as he commonly would argue with college age students on different hot button topics and issues. I found him annoying, and again, I disagreed with him. 

But on the other hand, it is wrong to wish death, and then to celebrate that death, no matter your stance and opinion on the person. This comes with few exceptions, but for the most part, it is pretty concerning and appalling when it happens. 

This death, and act of violence, unfortunately is not unique in the modern day United States of America. According to CNN, as of August 31, 302 people have been killed, and 1,354 have been wounded in a total of 309 shootings in the United States. 

If you do a quick google search for how many school shootings there have been since 2015, you find that that number is over 6,000. 

Notably, on June 14 of this year, in Minnesota, Representative Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and leader of the Democratic caucus in her state, and her husband were killed. The attack also wounded state Senator John Hoffman and his wife.

President Trump was shot at his presidential campaign rally last year. 

According to CNN, there have been 47 school shootings in 2025 alone. They have left 19 dead, and 77 injured. There was one today in Evergreen, Colorado that left multiple injured, and four in critical condition. 

So why mention all these?

As someone who has grown up watching violence on TV, trying to understand and live in a world, and country, that willingly turns a blind eye to events and tragedies of this nature, it has become easy to get desensitized and numb to any mention of a shooting. My reaction, unfortunately, has become one less filled with surprise, and one more of acceptance. The depressing and horrible acceptance that this is the country we live in. 

This shooting is only significant because it happened to a high profile figure. People have been dying due to violence, more specifically, in this case, gun violence. We’ll still get up the next day to debate whether or not politicians should be doing more, whether or not it’s a freedom that should be regulated, and what next steps are. 

Is it a mental health issue or a gun issue? Kids and young people my age are more than familiar with our school’s active shooter drills. I remember when Parkland happened in 2017. I remember talking about Uvalde in 2022, saying how vile it was that someone would kill innocent elementary age children. All the while legislation was not being written; instead it was being put off, argued, and put off some more. 

So why is it suddenly “tragic” when Charlie Kirk has his life taken by the same weapon he so vehemently defended? He leaves behind a wife and children, and more so, he was only 31. So many Instagram posts calling for thoughts and prayers for his family. When was the last time thoughts and prayers passed a law that made a noticeable change? Do you want us to just forget this happened in a month, go back to living a “normal” life until the next one happens? Just wait until it inches closer to our homes? 

To any one left in shock, anger, sadness, any emotion, really, I have no words for you. I can fill the page with pro-gun regulation words, a graph with statistics, and point to examples of other countries who have implemented plans and legal parameters successfully, but it is all meaningless without action. 

What I can do is tell you a few things: 

First, Hug your loved ones closer. Tell them you love them, share how you feel. If anything is universally agreed upon, it is that life is fleeting. You truly never know when it is your time. 

Second, doing something is better than nothing. Whichever way you vote, make an informed decision that you can peacefully fall asleep to. Do your best everyday. 

And third, do not live in fear. If you live your life in fear you will never achieve any goals. Do that thing that scares you today. Tell that person how you feel. Fear, truly, kills more dreams than failure. 

We must move forward with hope in our hearts and intention in our minds. That is all we have in these trying times. So continue to hope and let’s actively try for a better, safer, tomorrow.