Content warning: This article discusses various instances of violence, including gun violence. In the hours following the news that Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a “Prove Me Wrong” event at Utah Valley University, the discourse was rampant. Seemingly everyone I knew was reposting the same couple of Instagrams on their Stories: condemning political violence, sending thoughts and prayers to Kirk’s loved ones — I mean, you’ve seen the posts. Many (myself included) were also thinking of the many, many other instances of violence that have been occurring in recent weeks and months — including the Evergreen High School shooting, which occurred the same afternoon as Kirk’s murder.
But there’s one conversation I haven’t been hearing much about — and it’s one worth having: Kirk was shot and killed at an on-campus event, one that was sanctioned by the university. The shooting is a harrowing reminder that gun violence on college campuses is not just possible; it’s a horrific reality, one that instills fear into entire communities across the country. Knowing how dangerous it has become to simply participate in college life, we students are now forced to weigh the pros and cons each time there’s an event happening on campus, and ask ourselves: Is my attendance worth risking my safety?
According to a report by BestColleges, there have been roughly 385 instances of gunfire on college campuses since 2013, resulting in the deaths of 111 people and the injuries of 266. Some of those numbers account for the most recent years, when current students had already begun their college journeys. Earlier this year, a shooting at Florida State University’ student union killed two and injured seven. In 2023, a shooting at Michigan State University killed three and injured five. And that’s to say nothing of the countless, terror-inducing close calls and false alarms that happen regularly.
With Gen Z being known as the “lockdown generation,” fear of violence has been ingrained in many of us from an early age. I consider my school to have a safe campus (the state I go to school in is one only of 33 U.S. states that do not force colleges and universities to allow concealed guns on campus) — but even so, I’ve found that being vigilant in large crowds, knowing where the exits are, being aware of evacuation routes and hiding spots are all things I instinctively do without even realizing. It’s now just part of being a student.
No matter where they go to school and what those schools’ rules are regarding guns, many students feel like they cannot even go to a tailgate or class — let alone a highly charged political event — without wondering if someone around them has a weapon. To me, this is a travesty. College campuses have always been the backdrop for new experiences, self-discovery, and the exchange of ideas. I want to live that college experience to the fullest, and I want that for my peers as well, but when the fear of witnessing — or worse, becoming a victim of — a violent attack looms so large, these opportunities can feel more like threats.
We should not have to live in a country where college students have to wonder if participating in campus life will cost them their lives. Gun violence should not have to be something to consider before you decide whether to show up to something. And a culture where we are more afraid of one another than we are of missing out on being around one another is not a culture I want to be a part of.