PETERS: Think what you want to think, say what you want to say about Charlie Kirk’s death

There are a lot of folks out there policing exactly how we should all react to Kirk’s death.

It’s an interesting case study because Kirk was such an outlier. He was so confrontational and demonstrated so little decency in his own rhetoric – specifically, when it came to gun violence.

After all, he said the United States should accept a certain number of deaths as a sacrifice for upholding Second Amendment rights to gun ownership.

That type of stance shows no interest in solving the problem of mass shootings, school massacres — or even apparent political assassinations like his own.

On the far right, people held up the fallen pundit and activist as a martyr for their cause, slain by the evil-doers on the left.

At this point, of course, it’s too soon to say what actually motivated the shooter.

On the far left, people gloated. They found Kirk’s death almost poetic, a case of a man reaping just exactly what he sowed.

Closer to the middle, where most of us find ourselves, people reacted by condemning political violence or lamenting more children who will grow up without their father.

And then, everyone reacted to the reactions.

No one got it exactly right, apparently. No one reacting to Charlie Kirk’s death thought or said exactly the right thing.

Here’s a novel idea. Think what you want to think. Say what you want to say. Engage in debate. It shouldn’t be a death sentence.

At almost the same time as Kirk was killed in Utah, one state over in Colorado, a teenager carried out the 47th school shooting in the United States so far this year.

Perhaps Charlie Kirk would have seen that as an acceptable number. I guess we’ll never know.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by James Peters

PETERS: Think what you want to think, say what you want to say about Charlie Kirk’s death

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