Submission by Dr. Glenn Mollette
Charlie Kirk was a man of strong opinions who was never afraid to voice them. He believed in free speech—not only for himself, but also for those who opposed him. At his Turning Point rallies, he gave countless people the opportunity to speak, debate, and even challenge him. Kirk listened respectfully, allowing each person the time to state their case on any subject. He was adamant, articulate, and profoundly committed to his convictions.
Sadly, a deranged 22-year-old man from Utah ended Kirk’s life. Reports say the gunman once remarked at a family dinner that he believed Kirk was filled with hate. When Kirk later spoke at a university rally in Utah, the young man plotted his attack, firing a single long-range rifle shot that killed him. The assassin fled home and eventually confessed to his father that he was the man caught on video taking Charlie Kirk’s life.
This lone gunman was an evil coward who thought he could silence one of America’s rising voices. Instead, he amplified it. In the days since his death, Kirk’s words have been replayed and shared more than at any point in his career. Far from being silenced, his message has been magnified a hundredfold. Kirk is now remembered across the nation and around the world.
History reminds us that great voices often come at a terrible price. Abraham Lincoln gave his life reuniting our country and abolishing slavery. John F. Kennedy inspired optimism and energy in the American people, only to be gunned down in Dallas. Martin Luther King Jr. stirred the conscience of a nation, but an assassin’s bullet could not still the movement he inspired. Malcolm X and Bobby Kennedy also sought change, only to be struck down by those who disagreed.
And above them all stands Jesus Christ—the greatest voice of hope, love, forgiveness, and change. A cowardly crowd demanded his execution, but his message has never been silenced.
These voices were not destroyed by assassins or angry mobs. They live on, their legacies only growing stronger with time.
It is tragic that Charlie Kirk’s killer did not have the courage to confront him openly, to debate him face-to-face, or to challenge his ideas in the public square. Instead, he chose violence—a weak, hateful act born of fear.
Violence is never the answer. America must remain a place where ideas can be spoken, challenged, and debated without fear of death. Let’s keep this nation free: free to speak, free to debate, free to worship.
What we need is conversation, not assassination.
