The horrific shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah on Wednesday has rightfully shaken our country. We are a nation where gun violence is out of control… and getting worse. Political violence during the first eight months of 2025 is double the rate of the same period in 2024. Yesterday, at a news conference, Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox went to the podium to deliver updates about the case — and to urge Americans to find a way, together, out of this dark moment. Before the news conference began, I had not heard of Governor Cox. Nevertheless, his message was reasonable and inspiring. Referring to the capture of the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, Cox affirmed, “There is one person responsible for what happened here, and that person is now in custody and will be charged soon and will be held accountable.” Then, the governor turned his attention to us. He urged us to look into the mirror and to seek out our better angels. Whereas some overly partisan people, from both sides of the aisle, spew vicious accusations at their political rivals, Governor Cox stepped forward as healer-in-chief. “All of us have an opportunity right now to do something different. We can always point the finger at the other side, but at some point, we have to find an off-ramp, or it’s going to get much, much worse.” Cox directed some special words to America’s youth, Kirk’s favorite audience. “Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture very different than what we are suffering through right now, not by pretending differences don’t matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations,” He suggested that this could become a watershed moment for the nation.
Cox’s words to build a more respectful culture stand in stark contrast to the comments of President Trump, who defended the radical right and then attacked the “radical left” as being responsible for the assassination. The president then added, “Radicals on the left are the problem, and they are vicious and horrible and politically savvy…. Worst thing that happened to this country.” It seems to me that Trump is not healing the nation; he is pouring gasoline on the fire. And on this issue, he seems quite mistaken. Preliminary findings reveal that Robinson had no connection with the political left. He comes from a conservative, religious, and Republican family. As Governor Cox said, this could be a watershed event for America, but it depends to a large degree on how we respond. Let us recommit ourselves to speaking and living out the truth in love, not with violence.
Lindy Scott 