OU Turning Point USA’s president and political leaders condemned Wednesday’s fatal shooting of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University Wednesday afternoon. Kirk was speaking at the university as part of his “The American Comeback Tour.”

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social at 3:40 p.m. — roughly two hours after Kirk was shot — confirming the activist’s death.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump wrote. “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!” 

OU Turning Point USA responds

Kalib Magana, president of Turning Point USA’s OU chapter, visited the OU Daily newsroom shortly after Kirk was shot — before news emerged that his injury was fatal — and called the shooting despicable. Reached again after Kirk’s death was confirmed, Magana told OU Daily he knew Kirk personally after working with Turning Point for three years and was emotional at the news. 

“He loved everybody who he surrounded himself with. He really made everybody who contributed to his organization (feel) heard,” Magana said. “He inspired me to take action and fight for what I believe in.”

Magana affirmed he still advocates for the Second Amendment.  

“It's not the gun who killed Charlie Kirk, it's the person. Guns aren't violent themselves. It's the people behind the gun,” Magana said.  “It's really appalling that people like this get a hold of a gun, but it's not the gun's fault.” 

Magana said Turning Point USA had hoped to host Kirk on OU’s campus later in the fall. 

In April, conservative political activist Riley Gaines spoke in Dale Hall about transgender women in sports during an event hosted by OU Turning Point USA. During the event, which hundreds of students attended, a group of about 25 people protested Gaines’ appearance with signs and fliers outside.

In the same month, Kirk visited Oklahoma State University’s campus as part of his tour. Hundreds attended the event held in the International Mall Lawn on OSU’s campus with many protesting his appearance, according to reporting from The O’Colly, OSU’s student-led news organization. 

Magana criticized violence as a response to political differences.

“In a time like this, we should all unite,” Magana said. “We should all protest peacefully, and that's the route we’re going to take. We're going to protest peacefully.” 

OU Turning Point USA announced it will be hosting a vigil at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on the South Oval.

Political violence trends

Samuel Perry, OU professor of sociology, told OU Daily political violence in the U.S. is trending upward. 

“Political violence in the country is not at its worst. We've had different kinds of political violence, including riots and lynchings and war, which certainly has led to massive amounts of death,” Perry said. 

On June 14, Democratic Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed inside their home in a politically-motivated attack. The same assailant shot and wounded Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife earlier the same day, two of 45 Democrats on a “hit list” the assailant had made before the attacks.

In a graph of data collected by Peter Turchin, complexity scientist and scholar, which Perry sent to the Daily, Perry notes rising trends in politically-motivated terrorist attacks from both sides of the political spectrum. 

“In the 1960s and 70s, we had worse instances of political violence, but that was primarily riots that were taking place in response to civil rights,” Perry said. “What you do see, though, at the very bottom of that is that acts of terrorism were quite low, and they have been steadily increasing over time.”

Another graph of data collected by Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, indicates rapidly increasing instances of politically-motivated attacks since 2000. Perry said while most attacks are by members of the political far-right, both sides of the political spectrum are committing acts of violence in rapidly growing numbers. He said the mental health crisis and increasing partisan polarization may be the main challenges leading to these attacks.

“Political violence has been increasing, both on the left and the right in the United States, …” Perry said. “It is primarily, or most often, perpetrated by those on the far right, but there are certainly instances of far left political violence that are also increasing and tragic.”

Perry said with increasing political polarization, political activists on the far-right and far-left can contribute to the “us versus them” mentality that can often lead to violence. He said people may believe those on the opposite side of the political spectrum are “out to get them.” 

“A media ecosystem in which ‘us versus them’ kind of narratives were exacerbated and fomented that the left is behind some kind of conspiracy to destroy the nation, ‘they're out to get us, and we should reject them,’” Perry said. “That was obviously countered with people on the left saying the same thing about those on the right. It's also increasing polarization that's driving us to hate one another this deeply.”

Perry believes the assassination should not have happened, regardless of political views. He believes the attack will only worsen political polarization in the U.S.

“I feel just sick about the state of political violence in this country, and this is an absolute tragedy for anybody, whether I agree with anything they ever said politically or not, for this to happen is absolutely tragic and makes things so much worse,” Perry said. “It's not just immoral, but it's also just a tragedy in terms of exacerbating political polarization.”

State leaders’ reactions

State leaders have posted on social media in support of Kirk.

Before the announcement of Kirk’s death, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters and U.S. Sen. James Lankford wrote they were praying for Kirk in posts on X.

“Prayers are with my friend and incredible Christian man Charlie Kirk and his family,” Walters wrote. “Pray for Charlie.”

“Join Cindy and me in praying for Charlie Kirk, his family, and the students right now in Utah,” Lankford wrote. 

Gov. Kevin Stitt memorialized Kirk on X, saying he was praying for his family.

“Charlie was a great American. The world will be a darker place without him here. I am praying for his wife and children and all those who knew him and looked up to him,” Stitt wrote. “At times like this, we must turn to the Lord. Psalm 34:18.”

This story was edited by Thomas Pablo and Ana Barboza. Mary Ann Livingood and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.

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