Charlie Kirk was a divisive person. Not just in the USA but even in Meghalaya. As soon as news of his violent death broke this morning in India, social media was lit up with condolence messages or comments from those less sympathetic to the conservative activist.
He was an advocate of gun rights and conservative values, an outspoken critic of transgender rights and a staunch, unapologetic Donald Trump supporter.
Kirk’s killing is another in a long list of shocking episodes of gun violence in America but it is also the latest in an ever-lengthening line of recent political violence. Although members of the right wing portray themselves as the only victims, with the perpetrators all from the left, this is too simplistic.
Earlier this year two Democratic Party legislators in Minnesota were shot in their homes, one of whom died from her wounds. Last year, President Donald Trump was twice the target of assassination attempts. His brush with a bullet at an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania bears striking similarities to Kirk’s shooting in Utah (on a different side of the country), with both taking place before crowds at outdoor venues.
Two years before that, an assailant armed with a hammer broke into the house of Nancy Pelosi, a prominent Democrat, and injured her husband.
This does not bode well for a nation replete with firearms. Violence, as they say, begets violence. Social media has provided us with a platform to spew divisive rhetoric into echo chambers. Couple this with the easy access to guns and there are large numbers of people who are on edge and this only increases the potential for bloodshed.
There are some on the right that see Kirk’s assasination as an opportunity. There have been calls – and expect more to come – from conservative commentators for a legal crackdown on left-wing groups.
The USA will be celebrating the 250th year of its declaration of independence next year. But while there will doubtless be much to celebrate, such a milestone will also give those who think a lot about the health of the world’s most powerful nation much to ponder over.
