"The assassination of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday fueled an immediate, vicious explosion of recrimination on the political right, with leaders, including President DonaldTrump, accusing progressives of inciting, stoking, and acting on political violence against innocent conservatives. In truth, the alleged assassin, apprehended on Friday in Utah, has motives that remain unknown. According to early reports, though, these views cannot be characterized as leftist by any metric."
"But the race to blame the left for Kirk's killing obscures a deeper dynamic at play across all political assassinations in the United States: Easy access to weapons of war threatens free speech, allowing gunmen to chill public debate through violence and intimidation. When Americans across the political spectrum fear for their safety, they cannot possibly speak or assemble freely-and the open debate that sustains democracy itself begins to collapse under the weight of fearful silence."
The assassination of Charlie Kirk prompted immediate accusations from political leaders on the right, with several blaming progressives despite unknown suspect motives and early reports indicating the suspect's views could not be characterized as leftist. Most prominent liberals reacted with horror and unequivocally condemned the murder while participating in efforts to honor Kirk's work. The rush to blame the left obscures a deeper dynamic: easy access to weapons of war threatens free speech by allowing gunmen to chill public debate through violence and intimidation. When Americans across the political spectrum fear for their safety, they cannot speak or assemble freely. Expanding Second Amendment rights continues to imperil First Amendment freedoms.
Read at Slate Magazine
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