In the world we live in now, political opinions have not just been played out in debates, they have taken action into acts of violence. Charlie Kirk’s assassination is one of the many acts of political violence today. On September 10, 2025, while on his “Prove me Wrong” college campus tour, Charlie Kirk was publicly executed in front of thousands.
Charlie Kirk was a conservative political activist. He was the founder of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization that has promoted conservative values on college campuses across the United States since 2012. Some of the specific beliefs Kirk focused on during his campus appearances was gender identity, gun control, race, and climate change. Kirk was also a big advocate for free speech. He debated students and supported having “ reasonable disagreements”.
He was an author of books and articles discussing his views on politics and society, and most recently, the host of the Charlie Kirk show, which addresses issues of free speech, Christian values, and conservative activism.
According to sources, on September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was killed at the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Authorities have charged Tyler Robinson, a dropout student at Utah State, who shot Kirk from the roof of the building. The FBI released text messages from Robinson to his roommate, chronologically showing every one of his plans for his moves on Kirk.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination shows how easily political violence can spread. People disagree with Charlie Kirk’s beliefs because they do not align with their own values and opinions. Nowadays, Americans view the opposing side not just as rivals, but also as threats to the country. People turn to threats or violence to achieve a political goal. Because of this, as CCHS history teacher Mr. White puts it, “ People are afraid to have a certain opinion…people might be less likely to voice their opinions because of what the consequences might be.”
Political violence is widely spread across America because people have made the standard that you should be discriminated against for your opinion. This has overall led people to be more afraid to share their true opinion.