Charlie Kirk's death becomes latest example of U.S. political violence
Activist death becomes latest act of political violence
Wednesday's fatal shooting of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk is the latest incident in a recent increase of political violence in the U.S.
While we don’t yet know information about a suspect or the motive. Charlie Kirk was a highly political figure, and political violence has been on the rise in recent years.
WASHINGTON - JULY 17: Charlie Kirk is seen in the Fiserv Forum on the third night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on Wednesday July 17, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Big picture view:
Wednesday's fatal shooting of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk is just the latest act of violence against a political figure in the U.S.
In June, a gunman assassinated former Minnesota house speaker melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and shot another Democratic state leader.
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A grand jury has handed up an indictment against Vance Boelter, the man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers last month, leaving one lawmaker and her spouse dead.
Authorities say he had a list of other Democratic targets.
Last month, a gunman opened fire on the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, killing a police officer because he was angry about the COVID vaccine.
And right now, a trial is underway for a man accused of plotting the assassination of President Donald Trump. The second attempt after the president was fired upon at a rally last year.
Local perspective:
Matthew Wilson is a political science professor at SMU. He says the rise in political violence is similar to what the country saw in the late 1960s.
"There has been a spate of these things, and increasingly, people who have angry political grievances will take them out in actual violence," said Wilson.
"You had a spate of assassinations of major figures, people like Robert F. Kennedy being shot and Martin Luther King Jr. being shot."
Wilson adds that we are living in polarizing times.
"And sadly, we're seeing that recur, because we're in a very polarized time."
Dig deeper:
He says the internet and social media only amplify polarization.
"People really dial up their rage to a maximum level when they're communicating online, in a way that they are less likely to do when they communicate face to face. So, I think that's been an important transition. But the other thing is, people enclose themselves in partisan information bubbles."
The violence reaches beyond the political realm. A young man is awaiting trial for murder, accused of killing the CEO of United Healthcare in New York City.
However, Wilson believes there are ways to restore decorum in civil discourse.
"If we can do things in our culture to try to cultivate some level of empathy for and exposure to people who disagree with us politically, people who vote for other candidates, people who hold different preferences on social and political issues, that may be able to help in lowering the temperature and reducing some of this political violence."
What's next:
In response to the increase in threats against lawmakers. In July, congress approved a bill that would give additional funding to representatives for home security. This includes security cameras, alarm systems, and private security.
The Source: Information in this article was provided from interviews by FOX 4's Amelia Jones.