Most Americans have probably heard about the death of Charlie Kirk a couple of weeks ago. His divisive politics spread across the nation for years, and his stance on gun violence was arguably not sympathetic towards victims.,

Recently, Kirk became a victim of gun violence himself, so how should we direct our sympathies towards him?

Controversy over this topic has pervaded social media during the past weeks. Some argue that you cannot be anti-gun without sympathizing for Kirk’s death, while others argue that you can. The common denominator between both sides of this debate is that Kirk did not deserve to die. 

Ben Brady, senior, said, “I don’t think he deserved to die, especially live like that. I mean, he didn’t do anything wrong. He was just debating people.”

Avery Carroll, senior, said, “No one deserves to be shot for saying what they believe, and it was really sad to hear that his family was there.”

Anytime a person dies, especially a young person, the event reminds us that life is precious. However, your actions and statements define your life. Kirk’s statements were controversial, and generally intolerant. 

In light of his death, Kirk’s past statements on gun violence have circulated on the internet. Most notably, in 2023, Kirk said, “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. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.”

This statement speaks for itself. 

On the day Kirk died, there was also a school shooting at a Colorado high school. Most social media coverage of the Colorado shooting was not really about the shooting itself. The coverage was about how Kirk’s death overshadowed the Colorado shooting.

“I heard about [the Colorado school shooting] because I saw everybody on TikTok saying that people weren’t talking about it. I saw people talking about it because nobody was talking about it,” said Brady.

Kai McCabe, junior, said, “Neither events should have happened, but the fact that Kirk’s death was so public and more popular than those children… We can’t control what we see [online], but it’s kind of crazy, you know?”

Just a few weeks ago, there was a nationwide walkout in reaction to a school shooting in Minnesota. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, “How many deaths will it take ‘til America knows that too many people have died?”

Gun deaths really hit home for school students because so many of us have experienced fear while at school. When an announcement comes on, we wonder for a split second, “Are we in danger?” When we hear about kid after kid who left this world too soon because of a bullet, we hang our heads in despair.

It’s conflicting to weigh your own human sense of sympathy for the deceased with the fact that Kirk probably would not have cared if you were the one shot in the neck. 

Liam Bryant, senior, said, “If you have a society of tolerance, you inherently cannot tolerate intolerance. So, I believe you, at some point, have to draw a line… You kind of just say, ‘This is unacceptable.’”

Why does a person’s death divide us so much? Why do gun owners feel like it is their decision whether someone lives or dies? Why is this disgustingly ironic situation a debate, rather than a motivation to change the laws?

It feels like every time we open the news, there is a new shooting, whether at a school or elsewhere. This plague on our country needs to end. Ending gun violence requires implementing more stringent gun control. Implementing gun control requires lawmakers standing up to each other — and to the president.