REUTERS/via SNO Sites/Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribu
U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk appears at a Utah Valley University speaking event in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 10, 2025. Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via REUTERS
DISCLOSURE: This is an opinion article. Please note that unsigned editorials represent the collective opinion of The Wingspan student news staff and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the adviser or Gretna East High School. Columns represent the opinion of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the adviser, the Wingspan staff or Gretna East High School.
Yesterday, 31-year-old conservative political figure Charlie Kirk was shot and killed. Regardless of politics, everyone must agree on the truth: a man lost his life to gun violence.
Both extremes miss the point. The right often downplays or brushes off the effects of gun violence. And yes, Kirk advocated for the Second Amendment and had his fair share of thoughts on gun violence (including that “some gun deaths” are “worth it” to keep the Amendment), but that does not give anyone on the Left or the Right the right to post crude messages, like “good riddance to bad garbage,” on social media or say that his beliefs made him deserving of this.
Thinking Kirk deserved to die because of his stance on guns means you’re part of the problem. If you truly want gun violence to end, you cannot celebrate it in any capacity.
This tragedy should give both sides of the political spectrum a wider perspective. Gun violence happens every day in America, not just to conservative public figures, but to students, children, families, and neighbors. The very same day Kirk’s death shook the nation, two high schoolers were critically injured in a school shooting in Colorado.
And here lies the contradiction in this discourse: If Kirk’s death is such a tragedy, why won’t the right acknowledge it’s time for a change? And why won’t the left admit that all gun violence is unacceptable?
Conservatives advocate for less strict gun laws, like in their Big Beautiful Bill, while the left celebrates a death rather than addressing the violence. Both dodge the real issue: people are dying.
The bottom line is, someone was shot and killed. No matter your politics, everyone must agree it’s time for a change. Whether you want to honor Kirk or victims of gun violence across the nation, advocate for a better America. Support policy reform, not bills that take away safeguards. Ask for stronger background checks, safe storage laws and red flag laws. And reframe the conversation to no longer be Left versus Right, but everyone fighting to save lives.