Since the gruesome Sept. 10 assassination of 31 year old Charlie Kirk, a well-known conservative commentator, influencer and activist, Americans have grappled with the fact that politically motivated violence is on the rise in the United States. 

According to the Bridging Divides Initiative, reported threats against local officials rose 74% between 2022 and 2024. 

To gauge how attitudes may be impacting this trend, YouGov conducted a survey in the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, finding that only 72% of Americans stated that violence is never justified for political ends. The remaining 28% either believe that it is, preferred not to say or were unsure. 

Of those who stated that violence is sometimes justified, 42% identified as either Liberal or Very Liberal, 9% identified as Moderate, and 9% identified as either Conservative or Very Conservative. 

Young people (18-25) surveyed were more likely to support the justification of political violence to achieve goals.

At Salisbury University, students on campus have been paying attention to the national media coverage surrounding Kirk’s assassination. Some students in the community were deeply impacted by the incident. 

“I saw him die on livestream,” said Joe Pessagno, an SU sophomore who was watching the Sept. 10 Utah State debate when Kirk was shot. 

In the aftermath of the assassination, he has cut off members of his family who expressed public support for Kirk’s death. 

“I don’t talk to my aunt anymore, she celebrated it,” he said. “She said [on Facebook] that it was a good thing and to keep it up, which means she wants to kill [people like] me.”

Pessagno is a conservative student and a member of right-leaning groups on campus. He describes those who celebrate political violence as “animals” and “God-less.”

“It kind of hurts, because if they want [Kirk] dead, who was a pretty moderate guy, then they want half of the country dead.”

Isabella, an SU junior majoring in Environmental Biology, has noticed escalating political violence in the country and believes the problem has become worse in the past several years. 

“I don’t think it’s right for someone to die for their views, no matter what they are,” she said.

Isabella also stated that some of the national response regarding Kirk’s passing has been more than necessary. 

“I think anyone who dies that way deserves recognition, they deserve mourning, especially his family, [but] I don’t think he needs to be on the back of a quarter, there’s been [proposals] to put him on the back of a coin,” she said. “He was a podcaster, I don’t really understand getting huge recognition for that.” 

Ashton Combs, an SU junior majoring in Communication, believes that people should have the right to disagree with one another without the threat of harm. 

“No one should ever get hurt for the things they’re saying, that’s why we have freedom of speech,” Combs said. 

Combs mentioned that he mostly felt bad for Kirk, his family and his friends, because “no one should ever be gunned down for having an opinion.”

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By COLIN McEVERS

Editor in Chief