Gun violence in America continues. The recent news of school shootings, such as the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which left two children dead and 19 others injured, hasn’t been receiving adequate coverage. Yet, social media has turned its attention to the passing of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist most famous for debating college students on campuses across the country.
These reactions toward Kirk overshadow the children who have been affected by gun violence. In addition to this, users have created a double standard regarding whether attention to a tragedy should be placed or not.
Kirk himself was never a politician; rather, he created a name for himself by co-founding Turning Point USA in 2012. This organization aims to help spread conservative ideas to left-leaning colleges. Kirk is mainly famous for the viral video of debating 25 liberal college students on YouTube. He had since dedicated his time to traveling the country, stopping at various college campuses to preach his views.
The root of the issue, however, is the reactions users chose to share via social media.
Firstly, most people who spoke out for Kirk’s death never spoke about past school shootings. It’s also incredibly horrifying that another high school shooting took place in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday afternoon, the same day Kirk passed away. Little attention was given to this high school. Why does a conservative activist who debated undergraduates for a living get more attention than deceased children?
Supporters of Kirk and his views claim to be advocates of life, yet have remained silent during mass shootings of children, calling for thoughts and prayers in place of action. “Thoughts and prayers” being live-tweeted every time a tragedy happens will solve nothing. People have been advocating to fix this issue for decades.
Kirk’s supporters took to social media and demanded action. Most users posted in his honor, but threatened Democrats for calling out their silence on recent mass shootings. There was little to no coverage on the Denver high school shooting due to the outrage over Kirk’s death.
Users like this need to stop having selective empathy toward different political topics. Just because Kirk was wrongfully hurt by the same weapon used to target most children doesn’t mean he deserves more attention. Why can’t the media give equal coverage to both?
President Trump had an immediate reaction to Kirk’s injuries. On Truth Social, he said, “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!” Trump then announced Kirk’s death in addition to having all flags lowered to half-mast until Sunday at 6 p.m.
One of the main rules of flying an American Flag at half-mast is for periods of mourning. Trump never lowered American flags when two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota, Melissa Hortman and her husband John Hoffman, were shot in their home on June 14, 2025. He gave them no attention.
Instead, he blamed Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, and when asked if he called Walz to express condolences, the president said, “I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I'm not calling him.”
Were these two lawmakers who dedicated their time to serving Minnesota not a period of mourning? Oh, right, selective empathy strikes again.
Most social media users tried to defend Kirk’s death by citing the First Amendment’s freedom of speech. Yet, Kirk’s beliefs aren’t opinions — they’re prejudices.
He believed in the end of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Second Amendment, the deportation of illegal immigrants and more. Most users compared Kirk to a “modern-day Martin Luther King Jr.,” all because King spoke out against society, and Kirk apparently did too. Yet, he called King “awful” while stating that King’s legacy was an “anti-white weapon.”
Most notably, Kirk was caught saying that gun violence is “unfortunately worth it” to keep the Second Amendment.
The violence never spared Kirk because he advocated for it. Social media needs to realize the effect it has on politics; instead of creating division, users can create inclusion.
Society must advocate for the loss of everyone at the hands of gun violence, not just a single person. No one is truly immune to gun violence in America.
Natalie Saddler is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Natalie about their column? Email them at ns505423@ohio.edu.
