Charlie Kirk once said gun deaths ‘worth’ 2nd Amendment rights after mass shooting
Charlie Kirk was shot dead during a Utah event. (Rebecca Noble/Getty)
Charlie Kirk was shot dead during a Utah event. (Rebecca Noble/Getty)
Charlie Kirk, who was shot and later died at an event at Utah University on Wednesday(10 September), once said that gun deaths in the USA were ‘worth’ having 2nd Amendment rights after a mass shooting in 2023.
Charlie Kirk, a right-wing influencer known for his conservative commentary and for being the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot dead during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday (10 September).
Though a suspect was arrested, they have now been released, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Videos of the incident circulating across social media show Kirk answering a question on mass shootings moments before he was shot. In clips, Kirk can be seen jerking back in his chair as blood covers his neck.
In 2023, following the deaths of three children and three adults at the Christian Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, Kirk said that deaths by firearm were ‘worth’ the right for Americans to exercise the 2nd Amendment – the right to bear arms.
Kirk made the comments at a Turning Point USA Faith event in early April, 2023, as reported by Media Matters for America.
“You will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won’t have a single gun death,” Kirk said. “That is nonsense. It’s drivel. But I am—I think it’s worth it.”
Charlie Kirk: “It’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment”https://t.co/uoM6TqnAgJ pic.twitter.com/mbJSa2Lzmi
— Jason S. Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) April 6, 2023
He continued: “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 to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational. Nobody talks like this. They live in a complete alternate universe.”
According to Patel, “the subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.”
At time of publishing, there have not been any other reports of arrests in connection with the shooter.
Condolences have been issued from both sides of the political spectrum, most notably from Republican president Donald Trump.
“No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “He was loved and admired by all, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
Former US president Joe Biden also gave a statement, saying there is “No place in our country for this kind of violence.”
Fellow former president, Barack Obama, said in a post on X/Twitter: “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.
“Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Best known for co-founding Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, Kirk was known for holding open-air debates on campuses, where he often expressed right-wing, anti-LGBTQ+ views.
