{"id":416134,"date":"2025-09-11T15:39:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T15:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/416134\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T15:39:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T15:39:13","slug":"who-was-charlie-kirk-what-to-know-about-the-turning-point-usa-founder-and-his-views","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/416134\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Was Charlie Kirk? What to Know About the Turning Point USA Founder and His Views"},"content":{"rendered":"

Content warning:<\/strong> This story refers to a viral, violent video of a shooting. We will not link directly to the footage.<\/p>\n

This story was first published on September 10.<\/p>\n

Far-right political activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was 31.<\/p>\n

The shooting occurred as Kirk<\/a> was speaking in front of a crowd at the Utah university, a kickoff event for Turning Point\u2019s \u201cAmerican Comeback\u201d national tour that had received nearly 1,000 petition signatures calling for it to be canceled<\/a>, reports the Associated Press. According to CNN,<\/a> Kirk was asked about the statistics of transgender people linked to mass shootings, an active \u2014 and misleading \u2014 talking point on the right<\/a>; Kirk was answering the question when he was fatally shot.<\/p>\n

A video circulated on social media and verified by the Associated Press<\/a> shows Kirk being shot while mid answer. Officials confirmed<\/a> soon after that Kirk had been shot, and nearly two hours later, President Donald Trump wrote<\/a> on Truth Social that Kirk had died. Overnight, several right-wing figures called for violence and \u201cwar\u201d against the left as vengeance for Kirk\u2019s death, reported WIRED<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As of 10:45 AM ET on September 11, the shooter has still not been identified or found, and the investigation is still underway, according to the New York Times.<\/a> The shooter’s motives and political affiliation are similarly unknown. Utah Valley University closed its campus, cancelled classes, and instructed students<\/a> to \u201csecure in place\u201d until they can safely be escorted off campus as the investigation continues.<\/p>\n

Who was Charlie Kirk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Trump ally, Kirk was popular among the far-right, known for rallying young people around conservative ideas and around the President. Kirk often travelled to college campuses, where he would debate with students on popular right-wing talking points. He is often credited<\/a> with rallying young conservatives in a new wave of political activism. During these appearances, Kirk frequently spoke out against<\/a> abortion and reproductive rights, espoused anti-trans ideology<\/a>, spread<\/a> COVID-19 misinformation, among other controversial and, often, prejudiced<\/a> opinions. Kirk was gifted at digital attention-grabbing throughout his career as a right-wing commentator; in 2024, prior to another \u201cdebate\u201d campus tour, his appearance on the video platform Jubilee<\/a> debating young liberals went viral.<\/p>\n

Kirk has been outspoken against gun control legislation, frequently defending access to guns during debates and speaking engagements. In a Turning Point speech last year, Kirk called<\/a> shooting deaths as a result of gun access the \u201ccost to liberty,\u201d comparing gun deaths to the risk of driving and auto accidents. He made similar comments<\/a> in 2023, calling gun deaths \u201cworth\u201d it in exchange for Second Amendment rights shortly after a mass shooting killed three children and three adults at the Christian Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Around the same time that Kirk was shot, a shooting at a Colorado school was also unfolding. According to the Denver Post<\/a>, two teens were injured, with one still in critical condition, and the teenage shooter dead after turning the gun on himself, as of the morning after the shooting.<\/p>\n