This is not a moment for dishonesty. Contrary to the hurried efforts of some Democratic leaders to eulogize Charlie Kirk, we don’t need to pretend the far-right activist engaged in earnest politics “across ideology, through spirited debate” as California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a post on X paying tribute to Kirk.
Kirk, the founder of the far-right movement Turning Points USA, was committed to organizing America’s white young men, from college campus to college campus and beyond, into a politics of revanchist, resentment-fueled, patriarchal white nationalism.
At the time of writing, the person responsible for shooting Kirk has not been apprehended or identified. That didn’t stop Trump from delivering an official address unequivocally blaming the “radical left” for Kirk’s death in the broadest terms possible.
The Trump administration is a weaponization machine; it will transform all manner of things into an ideological arsenal to use against its opposition. Anti-genocide activism is antisemitism; immigrant workers are “the worst” criminals; addressing white supremacy is discrimination; war crimes are peace — all of these fascistic transmutations have become grimly common in the last eight months.
While I don’t discount this as a possibility, I think it’s more likely that someone was done with the rhetoric and took actions into their own hands. The alleged writing on the casings also has precedent (see United Health CEO).
With the info released showing where they think the shot came from, that’s not a difficult shot to make. I’m not a gun guy, but my brother has a .30-06, same as reported for this, and I helped him dial in his scope at 200 yards. In 4 shots my grouping was within a couple inches, and that’s the first time I ever fired that rifle. If someone practiced, hitting a target that wasn’t moving from the assumed distance is completely viable.
I’d love if this came out and proved to be a false flag operation, where the shooter is a conservative ordered to make the hit from this administration. I don’t think it will, but on top of an already winning situation, that would be the cherry on top.
It has also been noted that Charlie was unpopular in several far-right circles, too. Many people felt that he wasn’t extreme enough, and many of those people own hunting rifles.