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By James Bickerton
News Reporter
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The fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk has sparked mockery on social media from some users who referenced the Turning Point USA co-founder's views on gun control.
Some of these posts racked up millions of views, though other commentators hit back branding them "disgusting" and "mentally disturbed." Politicians across the political spectrum have condemned Kirk's assassination and offered prayers for his family.
Why It Matters
Kirk was one of America's most prominent conservative commentators and a close political ally of President Donald Trump. His shooting, and the mockery from some social media users, demonstrates just how divided American politics has become. It follows a string of attacks on prominent political figures including Trump narrowly surviving assassination in June 2024, while in June of this year a Democratic lawmaker was shot dead in Minnesota.
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The posts also show how social media can amplify extreme voices, with views that would previously have been marginal finding a wider audience.
What To Know
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday in front of thousands of people during a debating event outside the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. He collapsed, was rushed to a local hospital, and was later pronounced dead. Two people were initially arrested but later released after police concluded they had "no ties" to the shooting.
On X Brandy Bryant, a self-styled transgender comedian with 21,000 followers on the platform, posted: "Breaking: Charlie Kirk loses gun debate."
The post went viral racking up over 45,000 reposts, 424,000 likes and 12 million views.
Bryant later added: "These people openly get off talking about eradicating trans people and y'all think I got any sympathy for them? Get the f*** out of here."
Another X user shared a seven second video of a man laughing while sitting next to a woman, with the caption: "charlie kirk, an advocate for the approval of guns, got shot in the neck." This received over 940,000 views on the platform.
The TikTok user angelasrightofficial, who has 88,000 followers, shared a video of herself commenting: "Live by the sword, die by the sword. He did say that gun deaths were an acceptable side effect of gun rights."
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This clip was shared on X by the Wall Street Apes account which added: "Liberals are celebrating Charlie Kirk's death." The post received over 3.6 million X views.
The original TikTok user appeared to be referencing comments Kirk made about gun deaths in April 2023, when he said: "I think it's worth it. I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights."
Conservative commentator Paul A. Szpula shared a video originally posted by another social media user showing a woman wearing a "Trump is a vulgar pig" t-shirt reacting to the shooting.
In the nearly two minute clip the woman laughs hysterically and comments: "Charlie Kirk, I mean he himself said a couple of deaths here and there aren't so bad to keep our Second Amendment right and then later another school shooting, another one … I bet if you asked now [laughter] if he thought a few deaths so that everybody got to keep their Second Amendment rights was ok by him, I think he's probably say 'as long as it wasn't me'."
Szpula wrote: "Leftist goes bonkers laughing about Charlie Kirk having his life ended. Just look at her eyes. She's nuts."
While they didn't reference guns another X user got 13.3 million views on the platform by posting an eight second compilation of a woman repeatedly hitting a button, with the caption "me liking every tweet making fun of charlie kirk."
However other commentators condemned these reactions, British broadcaster Piers Morgan on X commenting: "Seeing so many clips/posts of supposedly 'kind tolerant' liberals gleefully celebrating Charlie Kirk's murder. They're so utterly disgusting."
New York Times columnist Ezra Klein wrote: "It's ghoulish to mock or justify the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Rising political violence is a horror of our time. Unchecked it will lead to catastrophes none of us want to imagine. Deeply hoping he pulls through. We are all people, whatever we believe. That has to come first."
What People Are Saying
Writer and podcaster Stephen Knight on X wrote: "Excuse-making and even open endorsement of violence in response to speech isn't confined to clueless students. It runs through the so-called 'liberal' left at every level. It's mainstream, and it's shameful.
"Witnessing the grotesque reaction to Charlie Kirk's murder will have changed decent people. Forever. The far-left has simply forced many reasonable people to wake up and pick a side. And it's not going to be theirs."
Conservative commentator Blaire White posted: "The people mocking Charlie Kirk's murder are the same people who would film someone dying on a train instead of help. They live amongst us and larp as human beings."
Former president Barack Obama on X said: "We don't yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie's family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children."
On X former vice president Kamala Harris wrote: "Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence."
What Happens Next
Police are continuing to search for the shooter behind Wednesday's attack on Kirk. Condemnations of Kirk's assassination is likely to continue from mainstream Democratic and Republican politicians, along with vitriol on some corners of social media.
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