Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative advocate, New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez immediately blamed guns and, consequently, Republican inaction on restricting access to certain guns.
When asked what she thought of the doomsday rhetoric her party frequently uses to describe President Donald Trump and his America First movement, AOC, surrounded by reporters, resorted to the standard Democratic talking point in a video released by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
She started by saying, “You know, we need to talk about action beyond rhetoric.” “Yes, we must discuss… there are words for that. But above all, we are in the leadership position. We have a task to complete. The American people are counting on us to take action because of our role and position.
She pointed to the Capitol behind her and continued, “Every day, people in this building continue to vote against doing anything, and every day, people are dying in America because of gun violence.”
🚨 AOC reacts to death of Charlie Kirk, lashes out at colleagues that vote against gun control legislation, WATCH:
Footage from @_CadenOlson pic.twitter.com/D51md9as3y
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 10, 2025
Ellen Treanor, Associate Vice President, Strategic Communication Management at Utah Valley University, told Fox News that Kirk was shot at a collegiate function at approximately 12:20 p.m. local time.
“A student organization called Turning Point USA invited Charlie Kirk to speak on campus today at noon,” the statement read.
Shots were fired from a building 200 yards away from the speaker at around 12:20. To the best of our knowledge, the person was struck, and his security guards took him away right away,” Treanor stated. “Our campus police have a suspect in custody, and the campus will be closed for the remainder of the day.”
Charlie Kirk was captured on camera responding to a query regarding transgender mass shooters in the US just seconds before he was shot:
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last ten years?” asked an audience member.
“Too many,” said Kirk.
The same audience member continued, “The number is five,” and asked Kirk if he was aware of the number of mass shooters that have occurred in the United States in the past ten years.
Kirk: “Is gang violence being counted or not?”
A second later, there’s a pop, and Kirk can be seen flinching in his chair with blood streaming from his throat.
Following the shooting, one suspect was taken into custody, but he was soon freed when investigators concluded he was not the assassin. About 30 minutes later, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on social media that another suspect had been arrested but that he, too, had been freed.
The gunman is still at large.
On social media, President Trump posted: “We all need to pray for Charlie Kirk, who was shot. A wonderful man in every way. God bless him!
Vice President J.D. Vance posted a statement on X that read, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a young father and a genuinely good guy.”
Shortly after the shooting occurred, Utah Senator Mike Lee wrote on X, “I am keeping a close eye on the situation at Utah Valley University. Would you kindly join me in praying for Charlie Kirk and the students present?
“Prayers for Charlie Kirk,” wrote Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. An amazing human being, American, and Christian. May Jesus Christ’s healing hand be upon him.
In a post, Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro denounced the assault and described the shooting as “horrifying.”
Shapiro wrote, “Political violence has no place in our country.” Shapiro stated, “We need to communicate with moral clarity.”