Charlie Kirk’s death was not the first of its kind, and it will not be the last if we do not work together to stop gun violence in America.
Each year, more than 48,000 people in the United States die from gun violence. This means, on average, over 100 people are killed by firearms in the U.S. every day. We cannot stand idly by while fellow citizens of our country continue to lose their lives.
While I may not have agreed with many of Kirk’s statements, his death is not something to be celebrated. It is a moment where democracy at its very core is being threatened. To be killed for sharing your political beliefs, no matter how controversial, will never be right.
As someone whose political beliefs lean toward the left, I cannot advocate for a decrease in gun violence and then cheer when someone I disagree with dies from it. The division in our country and its political parties is devastating and continues to bring us further away from freedom.
When I was in fifth grade, I participated in a music program called “Hope of America.” There, I sang the lyrics “United we stand / Divided we fall / This is our country / She needs us all.” This was the moment I understood the importance of a country united in purpose, plan and focus.
The continued division of political parties and their different views in our country allows for gun violence to blaze through the nation. School shootings are happening at an alarming rate. Melissa Hortman, a democratic politician, and her husband were murdered in June.
And yet, there was no outcry, no call for change. How can we as a nation cherry-pick who matters? Decide who gets empathy and who doesn’t? No child should have to hide under a desk, praying they don’t die, while politicians debate whether their life is more important than our Second Amendment rights.
Bills regarding gun control continue to be introduced in Congress and are either denied or voted against. The House of Representatives proposed a bill in 2023 that would require obtaining a license to own a gun. To gain a license, various tests, training and a background checks would be required. If you really believe in the Second Amendment, if you truly believe you should own a gun, then you should be willing to get a license. The bill died without a vote.
There are people on social media who claim that this is not a gun problem; it is a mental health and hate problem. If that is truly the case, then let’s do something about it.
Let’s stop accusing the left or right party for everything going wrong in our country. Let’s stop demonizing those who disagree with us. Let’s stop defunding programs that will help those who suffer from mental illness.
While working to solve those problems may help, it is merely the beginning of the solution. We live in a world where hate never seems to end. We can’t put a Band-Aid on this problem. We need real laws that get violence under control.
Instead of taking action, President Donald Trump has pinned Kirk’s assassination on the “radical left,” creating even more division in our country. If we really want to solve this problem, if we truly want to make a change, we have to stop blaming our enemies. We cannot silence one side and expect peace. We cannot throw around threats and expect change.
When tragedies have previously occurred in our country, leaders of our nation didn’t accuse the other party of violence. They didn’t place blame on the right or the left. Instead, they emphasized having empathy for those who were affected and coming together to prevent violence.
After several acts of violence involving guns during former President Barack Obama’s presidency, he said, “If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from grief… then surely we have an obligation to try.”
He didn’t place blame on an entire political party; he chose to take action. He created a plan to reduce gun violence, though to no avail. The plan failed in Congress.
Right now is our time to take action. It is time to be better than our current president and choose to love our neighbors, despite their beliefs. It is time to have empathy for those who suffer from gun violence. It is time to advocate for mandated background checks, training and licenses to obtain guns.
Take time to understand why laws implementing gun control are important. Take time to write to your representatives, to petition for new laws about gun control. Take time to share your experiences. It is too late to say, “I’m not sure how I feel about guns,” or “It doesn’t really matter to me.”
In a press conference after the assassination, Utah Governor Spencer Cox shared that this is our “opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now.”
Right now is our chance to come together as a nation and change our future — to decide that we will not let violence reign any longer. Now is the time to end gun violence.
