A video of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk explaining why he thinks gun deaths are unfortunately “worth it” has gone viral after he was fatally shot.
Kirk, a friend and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was shot in the neck while he was speaking at a university event in Utah on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump announced his death on social media, and a manhunt remains underway to catch his killer.
Highlights
- Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist and Trump ally, was fatally shot at a Utah university event, sparking a major manhunt for his killer.
- Kirk's 2023 remarks resurfaced; he said some gun deaths are 'worth it' to preserve Second Amendment rights and compared gun deaths to car fatalities.
- Two suspects were briefly detained and released; the shooting is seen as a targeted attack from a building roof during a public event of 3,000 people.
- Political leaders across the spectrum condemned the shooting, with Trump blaming the left, and Biden, Obama, and Clinton calling for peace and prayers.
Charlie Kirk was murdered at a university campus in Utah
Image credits: Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images
Comments Kirk, 31, made on the Second Amendment at an event in 2023 have now resurfaced.
“You will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won’t have a single gun death,” Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, said.
“We need to be very clear that you’re not going to get gun deaths to zero. It will not happen,” he continued. “But I think it’s worth it. 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.”
Kirk compared gun violence deaths to fatalities from car crashes and suggested having more armed guards could help prevent mass shootings.
“Driving comes with a price. Fifty thousand people die on the road every year. That's a price. You get rid of driving, you’d have 50,000 less auto fatalities,” Kirk added.
“But we have decided that the benefit of driving — speed, accessibility, mobility … is worth the cost of 50,000 people dying on the road.”
Officials say that two suspects taken into custody were released after interrogation, and both have no current ties to the shooting.
Image credits: Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images
The shooting is believed to be a targeted attack, with the shooter thought to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard.
A spokesperson for Utah Valley University told The New York Times the shot was fired from about 200 yards away at the Losee Center.
There were six police officers working the event, attended by around 3,000 people, alongside Kirk’s own private security.
A manhunt remains underway to find Kirk’s killer
Image credits: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
The fatal shooting has sparked condemnation across the political spectrum.
After announcing Kirk’s death on social media and paying tribute, Trump released a video describing it as a dark moment for America.
Kirk and Turning Point USA were pivotal in Trump winning the 2024 election, driving youth support for the GOP at events across college campuses.
Image credits: Mark Wilson/Getty Images
“I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” Trump said in the video.
“Charlie inspired millions and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. Charlie is a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loves so much, the United States of America,” Trump added.
“He’s a model for truth and freedom, and there's never been anyone who was so respected by youth.”
Trump blamed the left for Kirk’s murder and said political violence was the consequence of “demonizing those with whom you disagree.”
He described his own assassination attempt, violence towards ICE agents, and the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
However, he did not mention violence against Democrats, such as the fatal shooting of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
The White House is flying flags at half-mast until Sunday in honor of Kirk.
The shooting has been denounced across the political spectrum
Former Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Bill Clinton were among Democrats to denounce the shooting.
“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” Obama wrote on X.
“Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Similarly, Biden said in a statement: “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
Image credits: Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
“I’m saddened and angered by Charlie Kirk’s murder. And I hope we all go through some serious introspection and redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully,” Clinton wrote on X.
“Hillary and I are keeping Erika, their two young children, and their family in our prayers.”
Vice President JD Vance penned a long tribute to Kirk, whom he described as a dear friend, and credited him for helping win the 2024 election.
JD Vance penned a long tribute to Kirk on social media
Image credits: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
“Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him,” Vance said. “I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years.
“I was in a meeting in the West Wing when those group chats started lighting up with people telling Charlie they were praying for him. And that's how I learned the news that my friend had been shot. I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in,” he added.
“God didn’t answer those prayers, and that’s OK. He had other plans. And now that Charlie is in heaven, I’ll ask him to talk to big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends, and the country he loved so dearly.”
Kirk is survived by his wife and two children.