As I write, Charlie Kirk's assassin has yet to be captured. It's still possible that the person who murdered the influential conservative activist was motivated by personal resentment or a business deal gone wrong. But the man shot during a Prove Me Wrong event held for the peaceful debate of policies and ideas was almost certainly the latest victim of America's problem with political violence. And if it feels that this attack was worse in some ways than other high-profile incidents, that's because it was.
With the assassination attempts on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, the lethal attack on Minnesota lawmakers, the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and other crimes, partisan observers could pretend the victims wielded power that made them legitimate targets. But Kirk was about discussion and persuasion. Agree with him or not, he didn't do anything other than offend some sensibilities and, perhaps, change minds. Kirk was likely killed because of what he believed. And it's not yet apparent that Americans will take this crime as a wake-up call rather than an excuse to rally the troops.
