Right-wing political personality, Charlie Kirk, was shot in the neck in Orem, Utah at the start of his American Comeback Tour on Sept. 10.

Utah Valley University (UVU) attendees were engaging and debating with President Trump ally, Kirk, on political topics of their choosing just moments before the incident occurred.

“Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” an attendant said.

Kirk’s response was cut short by a rifle shot roughly 200 yards away. He was confirmed deceased shortly after.

The reactions to his death have been mixed with critics referring to some of the policies he was against may have prevented his death along with most causalities that were resulted in gun violence.

Kirk prioritized spreading his views, largely conservative and Christian, in the form of political debate primarily on college campuses.

He worked closely with President Trump and even used his influence in conservative politics to endorse the president and help him win the 2024 election. Kirk has been politically backing the Trump family and Republican candidates and has been publicly recognized by President Trump several times since 2016 (when Kirk was only 22 years old).

Kirk was well versed in his beliefs and debated hundreds of topics throughout his time in the spotlight. However, as he started to gain high attention for his views, most of the debates came down to two main points: his views on abortion and gun laws.

Both topics were popular with debaters of Kirk because of how controversial they are. Kirk often defended “traditional” gender roles and was against abortion no matter the scenario, usually stating this was because of his religious beliefs.

When speaking on gun laws and reform, Kirk would often cite the Second Amendment and believed that having armed guards in schools rather than implementing gun control laws would reduce school shootings.

“It’s worth it 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.” Kirk said. “[this idea] is prudent. It is rational.”

With the context given regarding where Kirk stood on the political spectrum and how he felt about gun control, it begs the question: Would Kirk’s thoughts have changed if he had lived, or would his death still have been worth it if he got to keep his Second Amendment right?