On Wednesday, Sept. 10, political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Utah Valley University’s campus. Kirk was the founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization that seeks “to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government”, according to their website.
Since the shooting, conversations about Kirk and the life he lived have stirred up discourse, sympathy, argument and overall discussion — particularly among college students.
Madison Kellogg, president of Samford’s chapter of Students for Life, recalled feeling shocked by the suddenness of it all.
“I felt like I wanted to talk about it [the shooting] at that moment, but I didn’t necessarily have the opportunity to do that,” said Kellogg. “It felt weird to just go to class after that happened, and then just proceed on with my day.”
One of Kirk’s self-proclaimed main goals was starting difficult conversations among the youth. In death, it seems he has achieved just that.
“I think it’s always great to have your opinions challenged,” said Chloe Hardy, sophomore. “It’s why I watch some of his videos, because I think challenging yourself is the only way you grow. But we should not be putting this man on such a high pedestal because it’s starting to feel like weirdly sacrilegious.”
Hardy, who voted for Kamala Harris in the last presidential election, acknowledged that she disagreed with Kirk on most things. However, she did not consider this to be a reason for her or fellow democrats to celebrate death.
“I don’t view him as an enemy,” said Hardy. “I view him as a fellow believer of God and as a human, and I think that no single individual deserves to die that way.”
Sarah Cameron, another sophomore democrat, agreed.
“It’s something that should be taken seriously and it’s something that is just sad,” said Cameron. “And watching the aftermath of it and seeing how much more division it created was worrying and it made me feel uneasy.”
However, this “division” could be interpreted as a form of discussion honoring Kirk’s memory. Mckenna Connelly, a conservative senior, viewed the ongoing discussions through this light.
“I think that his memory would be stained if we weren’t acting on these things and taking advantage of doing the things that he wanted college students to do, even if you’re not on the side that he agrees with,” said Connelly.
The topic of gun control has risen in discussions regarding the assassination, since Kirk advocated for the second amendment in his debates.
“Considering a lot of his platform was built around protecting the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms, I find it to be almost tragically ironic that this is the way he goes out… It’s incredibly sad,” said Cameron.
Connelly disagreed with the idea.
“It is kind of disrespectful, in my brain, to assume that what he was doing would cause his own death,” Connelly said.
Hardy hopes that the shooting will facilitate discussions surrounding gun control.
“I hope they [conservatives] use this as a turning point for America in order to make those laws, make those restrictions, make those tests, make those checks and balances in order to make sure that the person who’s buying it is safe, the people them around are safe, and the community that surrounds them is safe,” Hardy said.
Ultimately, these four women agreed that his death was disturbing, and his life was impactful.
“Every life is valuable regardless of what you believe, regardless of how you look or how you think,” said Kellogg.
Connelly, who also holds pro-life values, disagrees with gun violence against anyone.
“As a Christian, that’s playing God, and we’re not God,” Connelly said.
The women in this article all reiterated their belief in Christianity, and how that helped them understand tragedy, including Kirk’s assassination.
“Every time I’ve had a conversation with somebody, I think the one thing that me and these people can agree with is the fact that we’re all believers,” said Hardy. “So, at the end of the day, we’re looking at this as a death, not a symbol.”
Samford’s chapter of Turning Point USA has declined the Crimson’s inquiries for an interview at this time; however, you can find recent statements regarding the situation on their social media.
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