The assassination of Charlie Kirk, one of the most influential and controversial figures for the young generation, has completely taken over the internet. The assassination, which took place on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University while hosting “The American Comeback Tour,” sparked thousands of conversations about gun laws in America.
It’s essential when these tragic events occur in our world that we reflect on what we have become. Kirk’s death has ignited thousands of people across social media to shed condolences, but also to bring light to the shocking differences between Kirk’s assassination and that of Melissa Hortman.
Hortman, Democratic House Speaker, was shot and killed on June 14 inside her Minnesota home.
The most shocking difference between these two horrific acts was President Donald Trump’s response. After both assassinations, Trump turned to social media to shed some light on the murders.
However, after the assassination of Kirk, Trump demanded the American flag be flown at half-staff in honor of his life until Sunday at 6 p.m., an honor that he failed to extend to Hortman.
But is anyone talking about the Evergreen High School shooting that took place the same day?
In today’s society, it seems as if school shootings have become a sense of “normal.” Being terrified to walk into school is just one of the daily occurrences students experience while growing up in America.
But what really separates these two casualties?
One could compare the fatalities, say that Kirk died, and the two victims at Evergreen High School were only injured and sent to the hospital. One could also compare the influential difference of the victims and Kirk’s inspiration on younger generations.
But in the end, there is no difference; gun violence has unfortunately taken over this country like a plague. Weapons are landing in the hands of people who aren’t responsible enough. Guns are landing in the hands of children who don’t know what it means to take a life.
Almost 13 years ago, 20 children and six teachers died in the Sandy Hook shooting. The gunman, Adam Lanza, had taken his mother’s firearms that she kept in the house and used them to attack the elementary school.
Sandy Hook continues to be a pillar in history, the most fatal elementary school shooting to date. There have been 64 since then. Sixty-four active shootings in the United States since Sandy Hook, so many lives taken, so many kids who never got to walk home from school one last time. Who never got to say goodbye to their mom and dad. Who never got to sleep in their bed one last time. Who never got to open their Christmas presents or light any candles for Kwanza.
As a high school student, the thought of never walking home looms over my head every day. Walking the halls during class changes and planning out which classroom to run into. Every first day of school, I document the best hiding place in all of my classrooms, the closest exit, and how far away I am from the door. An unconscious practice that I can never seem to control.
I never asked for this: this fear. I never asked to be afraid to go to school. I never asked for this anxiety that fills me every day. I wish I lived in a world where I didn’t have to worry.
The truth is, one can’t mourn Kirk while refusing to acknowledge the truth. America needs to learn its lesson. These horrible acts need to be put to rest.
Instead of brushing past and eventually washing away this news, we need to make a change. America needs to change because my classmates, our younger siblings, do not deserve to have to worry about their safety at school. School should be a place to learn English, math, science, history, music, art, and so many other enrichment filled classes, not where we learn how to breathe so silently, to use desks as shields, and to find anything we can to defend ourselves.
The world we live in has become an obscure dystopia, one where even our own children aren’t safe from the horrors of the world. I fear for my own safety, the safety of my friends, and the safety of our nation’s children.
