Honestly, it’s shocking. It’s not like I was a big fan of Charlie Kirk, and I can’t say I knew much about his activities. But his videos — like those debates with university students — often popped up on my YouTube feed. So I knew he was kind of an icon among conservatives, especially for younger generations.
There are so many things I want to say about this incident.
I don’t necessarily agree with all his ideas or the positions he took, but I kind of like his style — how he debates with young people. Sometimes His way of speaking becomes quite aggressive, as if he’s trying to corner the other person. Still I think it’s great that he was having those conversations and getting young people to share their opinions and passion in front of audiences.
First of all, this should never happen. No matter how much you disagree with someone’s political opinions, it doesn’t give you the right to kill them. He was a husband, a father, a son, and a friend to many people. No one has the right to take him away from his loved ones. I feel like there are always some people who feel the only solution to their problem is violence. That's a really scary fact.
What shocked me even more was that some far-left people actually celebrated his death — they were dancing, laughing, and posting it all over social media. That kind of reaction is disgusting.
It doesn’t matter if you’re on the left or the right —It’s just pure hatred, not politics anymore.
He wasn’t a terrorist or anything like that. Celebrating his death is crossing the line.
I read that some of them were actually fired because of their behavior. And I thought, that’s so America. Something like that would never happen in Japan, because Japanese law basically doesn’t allow companies to fire employees unless there’s a really legitimate reason.
I’ve heard that a lot of young people in the U.S. tend to have liberal views — at least that’s what I’ve seen on Japanese social media.
So I thought it was really cool that they got to debate directly with Charlie Kirk. It’s a great way for them to see different perspectives, share their own opinions, and maybe even help bridge the gap between people with different views.
When talking about this incident, I think we can’t avoid talking about gun control.
I think opinions about gun control in the U.S. are completely divided.
Charlie Kirk was a staunch pro-gun advocate and often spoke out against gun control measures.
From what I’ve read, he said that in the U.S., people have the right to own guns based on the Second Amendment. He even once said something like, “It’s worth the cost of some gun deaths every year if it means we can protect our other God-given rights under the Second Amendment.”
Ironically, he was shot while talking about gun control. Every time a horrific shooting happens, debates about gun control flare up again. But some people say that’s why we need a gun, and others say, that’s why we need gun control.
I personally think it’s impossible to completely ban gun ownership in the U.S. Guns are already so deeply rooted in American society that it would be almost impossible to reverse the situation. Even if the government tried to enforce really strict gun control laws to eliminate all guns, criminals would still keep theirs.
When it comes to gun ownership, I don’t think law-abiding Americans actually want to own guns. It’s more like they feel they don’t have a choice — they need them to protect themselves.
Also, a lot of Americans work in gun-related industries, so that’s another factor. And politically, the NRA — the National Rifle Association — plays a huge role as a supporter of the ruling party. So aside from people’s emotions, I think the social structure and long-standing culture in the U.S. make guns almost necessary.
That’s just my perspective as a Japanese person. What do you think about this issue?
That being said, I still believe there are things the government can do to regulate who can own guns. I often hear that people who commit mass shootings actually suffer from mental health issues or drug addiction.
So I think the authorities should have stricter rules for gun ownership — for example, gun shops shouldn’t be allowed to sell to people with a history of mental illness or drug abuse.
I’m not sure if it’s even possible to check someone’s medical record, but if it is, that could help prevent some shootings.
Going back to the assassination of Charlie Kirk — from what I’ve seen on social media, there are a lot of different opinions about the impact of his death. Some people say it could actually deepen the division between conservatives and liberals, while others say it’s made some people on the left realize that the ideology they believed in was wrong — and that they might start supporting the conservative ideas Charlie Kirk promoted.
