Editors note: As a student newspaper committed to fair and responsible journalism, Viewpoints is presenting two opposing personal student commentaries about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. These commentaries are the opinions of the student writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the entire Viewpoints staff, Viewpoints faculty advisers, college faculty, staff and administration or the District’s Board of Trustees.
He believed in faith, freedom, but he also loved our country. And he also has things that he opposed which were gun control, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, certain civil rights legislation as well as expressing traditionalist views of women’s roles.
Along with having been a husband and father of two children, Kirk was also an American right-wing political activist, author, host of The Charlie Kirk Show and social media personality. He founded the student organization called Turning Point USA in 2012, which will still be continuing even after his passing. Kirk did events on college campuses, including the “Prove Me Wrong” debates, which still float around different social media platforms.
Kirk used his freedom of speech to engage with students and challenge their perspectives on controversial topics. The way he would approach the discussions would be characterized as respectful and civil, even if the discussions he had were difficult. One of the times he was talking was when it was about how we should have the Second Amendment stating:
“So, we need to be very clear that you’re not going to get gun deaths to zero. It will not happen. You can significantly reduce them through having more fathers in the home. Yes, by having more armed guards in front of schools. I think it’s worth the 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 prudent.”
As of Sept. 10 Turning Point USA has more than 800 college chapters and even an audience of millions that listen to the podcast and livestreams.
An unknown college student asked him if he was a Christian. Kirk replied, “Very, very much so. Oh, Jesus saved my life. I’m a sinner. Gave my life to Christ. The most important decision I ever made.” His christian faith was what shaped his life. He believed that having a strong christian community was crucial to freedom.
He made references to the Lord in his “Prove Me Wrong” debates such as when an African American mother of a young child went up to the microphone and Kirk greeted her and said that her baby is not just beautiful but also a gift from God. The mother not only thanked Kirk but stated that her daughter is truly a blessing.
Charlie Kirk had been an impact for young people’s lives, he was a symbol of the youth in a political stand point and him being that symbol helped inspire many young people to speak up about how they felt making their voices heard. He was able to impact my life as well as being able to speak my mind more. Charlie Kirk said “If you believe in something, you need to have the courage to fight for those ideas – not run away from them or try and silence them.”
