In light of Charlie Kirk’s assassination yesterday September 10th, 2025 at Utah Valley University, debates spark between students at Wilsonville about whether or not his death is justified. This isn’t a subject that is up to interpretation. Whoever you are, and whatever your political affiliation is, violence toward others is never warranted, especially as a means of political activism.
Charlie Kirk was a 31-year-old right-wing activist and the founder of Turning Point USA, infamous for his debates with college students on liberal university campuses. Kirk was active on social media sites like YouTube, where he appeared in various political videos on channels such as The Cut and Jubilee.
When the news came to Wilsonville this afternoon, there was a lot of discussion, with some claiming his death was justified due to his unpopular political beliefs. The death of another human being should never be celebrated. When we begin justifying violence, where do we draw the line?
Sophomore Eli Song expressed his opinion, “I don’t think that Charlie Kirk’s death was justified, because I think the definition of murder is unjust killing, like being murdered in front of a large group of people is unjust, I think that’s wrong.”
Song went on about listening to others’ opinions: “I think that it’s important for [controversial speakers] to be heard, but to also take in other ideas. I think political opinions become harmful when they become more attacks, like fallacies, ad hominems, just attacking people.”
Michael Hanson, a senior at WVHS, opposed the notion of supporting political violence. “Just because somebody has a different opinion than you doesn’t mean you have to shoot them. I do not personally agree with Kirks’ views, but I respect him as a person and as another human being. You know, he had a family.”
He went on about how he has seen the event affect school culture. “I have heard people saying it was justified, but mostly people seem to say it’s bad and feel sorry for him.”
When asked if this could be a learning moment for America, Hanson responded: “I don’t think so, because there’s nothing new about this. You know, people have been assassinated for having different opinions like Martin Luther King. I mean, Trump already has had an assasination attempt, this stuff has been happening for a while.”
America is supposed to be the country of freedom and opportunity for all people, regardless of religion, culture, race, or orientation. The first amendment states that congress cannot prohibit freedom of speech, nor the right of people to peacefully assemble.
Charlie Kirk was exercising his rights as an American citizen to speak his mind, when his life was violently taken from him in the blink of an eye. Kirk had two young daughters, both of whom just lost their father. It can be so easy to see things from one perspective and forget the simple truth: we are all human.
Moments like these should make us reflect and realize that even in a heightened political climate, we often go too far.