Elon University students react to death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk

Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10 during a campus event at Utah Valley University. Kirk had built a reputation for traveling both across the United States and internationally to engage in debates at colleges and universities as well as starting Turning Point USA, a group originally started by Kirk that aims to promote conservative politics to young people. His death has sparked reflection among students at Elon University about the role of political discourse and gun control.

President of Elon’s College Republicans and sophomore Andrew Cochran said that when he heard about Kirk’s death he was surprised. Cochran said that after seeing multiple notifications pop up on his phone during class, he had thought Kirk was only injured at first — his death came as a complete shock.

“It’s very sad that he's young. He obviously has a wife and two kids, which is probably the more sad part,” Cochran said. “For all the people that were in attendance to see that happen, it’s probably pretty traumatizing.”

President of Elon’s College Democrats and junior Johnathan Meeks said that, like Cochran, he was shocked to hear about Kirk’s death. Despite Meeks and Kirk’s difference in political opinion, Meeks said that it is still important to acknowledge his death.

“The initial thought was, you know, ‘I'm aghast’,” Meeks said. “I am president of the College Democrats, significant differences in some ways. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we don't have to acknowledge when someone's death is a significant event.”

Meeks said that he was disappointed that people are tolerating political violence. 

President of Elon’s Students for Peace and Justice Madeline Mitchener said, similarly to Meeks, that there are going to be people who have a different opinion — but she said no one’s life should end due to gun violence. Elon's Students for Peace and Justice aim to promote social awareness, open-mindedness, and activism to create a more peaceful and inclusive campus environment, according to their PhoenixCONNECT description, Elon’s website for student organizations and events. Mitchener said she hopes people who are shocked about Kirk’s death will advocate for an end to gun violence.

“I'm very hopeful that folks who feel shaken up, feel rattled and care about putting an end to gun violence can come together and start to make some progress,” Mitchener said. 

Kirk was a supporter of the Second Amendment. Cochran said that he believes it is important to have the Second Amendment, but also to prevent gun violence that results in death.

“It's an American right,” Cochran said. “It's something that we can't take away. We can do all we can to prevent those from happening. I think the legislation around that can be stricter.”

Meeks said that although it is important to mourn the death of people, especially as a result of gun violence, Kirk’s death is not the only result of gun violence. 

“This obviously isn't an isolated case,” Meeks said. “This just happens to be a very well-known case, but the fact is, gun violence doesn't spare anybody. It's not something that simply affects him, it affects everybody. It affects school children, it affects everyday citizens, it affects the entire country.”

Freshman Mia Charbit, who is in the process of establishing a TPUSA chapter at Elon, said the day before Kirk was shot, the national TPUSA organization reached out to her and said they would help her start a chapter at Elon. Turning Point USA is not listed as a student organization on PhoenixCONNECT.

Charbit said that she does not agree with those saying Kirk died for what he believed in when it comes to his views on gun control. 

“He died trying to just share his views and have open dialogue, and he died doing that,” Charbit said. “I think we just need to continue doing that, and showing that we're not going to back down — his legacy will continue of speaking for truth and not being afraid.”

Elon’s College Republicans are hosting a vigil for Kirk at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21 on Phi Beta Kappa Commons, according to an Instagram post from College Republicans. TPUSA will also be in attendance at this vigil, according to the post.

“It doesn't matter if we're gonna lose friends over this,” Charbit said. “We're not promoting anything. We're saying that this is open to everyone. So overall, I think it's important that we stay strong.”