Stunned, Conflicted UW Students Condemn Charlie Kirk Killing, Political Violence

LARAMIE — Students on the University of Wyoming campus condemn political violence and were conflicted less than 24 hours after conservative political thought leader Charlie Kirk was gunned down Wednesday.

Kirk was shot and killed Wednesday by a rooftop gunman while speaking at Utah Valley University. He was visiting the Orem, Utah, campus as part of his American Comeback Tour, an event in which he engaged in debates with students on hot-button social and political topics.

His death sent shockwaves throughout the nation, including in Wyoming where several state and federal leaders spoke out against the senseless killing. The incident also rekindled fiery national debates surrounding freedom of speech, gun restrictions and political violence.

Kirk visited the Laramie campus as part of his national tour in late April, attracting an audience of about 1,800 at the University of Wyoming Arts and Sciences Auditorium. During the event, he told college students to cast aside “woke” ideologies and other liberal beliefs he saw as influencing America’s youth.

Cowboy State Daily visited the university’s campus in Laramie on Thursday to speak directly with students — Kirk’s primary audience — about their reactions to the incident and hear their thoughts on how Wyoming and the nation can move forward. 

‘It Just Really Sucks’

Several students told Cowboy State Daily they mourned Kirk’s death and viewed it as a troublesome sign for the state of political discourse.

Jace Miller, a freshman studying ranch management, said the incident illustrates a widening political divide in the United States made worse by an age of hyper-partisanship.

“It just really shows how divided our nation is, for sure, and just really sucks for his family, because he was a younger guy and he had kids, and just definitely be praying for his family, and hopefully this sparks change,” he said.

Waylon Nelson, a senior studying civil engineering, said he’s searching for answers as to why someone would feel compelled to kill Kirk given the United States is a nation founded on free speech principles.

“Obviously, I don't understand why people feel it's necessary to kill others that they don't agree with, because ultimately that goes against the right the freedom of speech,” he said. “So what prevents people from harming those that killed Charlie Kirk and ending or making it so that people don't hear their opinions?”

Nelson added he believes most students feel similarly and characterized the sentiment around him as being “80-20.”

“It’s pretty horrible,” junior biology student Dean Kirschner said of Kirk’s death. “It’s upsetting almost. Political violence has no place in this country. It’s angering, it’s very angering.”

Kirschner added that while he hasn’t witnessed any of his peers sharing satisfaction over Kirk’s killing, he has seen some shared online.

“I've been seeing on social media, personally, people supporting what happened yesterday, and I just can't get behind that,” he added.

Freshman agriculture student Jeff Kelly admitted he cried after hearing the news of the shooting and added that, “No one should get hurt for speaking their truths and what they believe in.”

Deanna Davis, a freshman political science major, said she always had an interest in Turning Point USA, the campus political group founded by Kirk. She added that most of her peers, regardless of political ideology, were “really, really upset” by the news.

She suggested stricter gun laws may be one solution to ongoing gun violence, but acknowledged Wyoming is a very gun-friendly state and is not likely to change its attitude toward firearms.

“I think that Wyoming is definitely a place that is really OK with guns, and I don't think I know a single person that at least I'm friends with who hasn't shot a gun and aren't comfortable around guns,” she said.

‘Just Neutral’

Other students took a less emotional stance on Kirk’s killing, saying they are not feeling the impact here in Wyoming.

“It grossed me out,” freshman criminal justice student Carmen Somora said of her reaction to video of Kirk’s death circulating social media. She added, however, that many of her peers are mostly indifferent toward Kirk’s death.

“I don’t think anyone really cares,” she said. “Honestly, really, they’re kind of just neutral.”

Third-year chemical engineering student Quinton Gasway said he attended Kirk’s event at the school in April and was surprised by the large turnout. Despite this, Gasway said he wasn’t particularly affected by Kirk’s death.

“He's a celebrity at the end of the day. I didn’t have that much of an attachment,” Gasway said. “But it was a gut punch."

Santiago Gonzalez, a freshman studying criminal justice, was concerned by the fact that Kirk’s killing largely overshadowed a shooting Wednesday at Evergreen High School in Colorado. Gonzalez explained not feeling strongly about Kirk’s killing due to his reputation.

“I haven't really talked to many people about it, but not many people really care since he's just not the best guy, you know, in other people's eyes,” she said.

‘Out of The Spotlight’

Some students said they believed that voices such as Kirk’s are harmful to American discourse.

Jenny Bautz, a first-year graduate student studying environment, natural resources and society, said all gun deaths are tragic adding that she took issue with many of Kirk’s political views. 

“Charlie Kirk, in his heart, thought he was doing the right thing, but I think he also spread a lot of horrible rhetoric,” she said. “I'm not happy to see him murdered in front of his family at all, but I'm also aware that I think I was happy to have his voice out of the spotlight.”

Bautz also addressed how Kirk’s killing will likely play into the debate around gun control. The University of Wyoming’s gun policy allows students to carry firearms in most places, which she said is a “mistake.”

She also recalled her grandfather’s “no guns” policy when he was principal of a Chicago high school.

“His strategy to reducing gun violence, which they had a lot of in the inner city in Chicago, was gun detectors in every entry point and clear backpacks and an absolute 100% ban on all weapons,” Bautz said. “And it worked. He reduced all fatal incidents in those high schools to zero.

“I think that should be something that we should be looking at for college campuses."

Sophomore zoology student Matthew Gindling described Kirk’s killing as “not a good look for anyone.”

“I personally don't support what he says, but I still don’t want people to get hurt,” he said.

Gindling added he believes Kirk’s death may have been a coordinated effort by Kirk’s political rivals. 

“I don't think what happened to Charlie Kirk was, like a just like a crazy dude,” he said. “I saw people online talking about how they waited for him to put the microphone down, how they could have had multiple shots at him, but they waited for the right one.”

Turning Point

Gabe Saint, president of the University of Wyoming’s Turning Point USA chapter, said the group still planned to hold its regular meeting Thursday.

“We are all pretty upset and angry,” he told Cowboy State Daily via text message. “But we are determined to keep up the good fight that Charlie started.”

Saint added the group plans to watch highlights from Kirk’s interactions with students at universities across the country to remember him and his fierce political debates.

Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.