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The killing of Charlie Kirk is shocking, tragic, and wrong. But it is also part of a larger problem America has refused to face: political violence. This is not a new phenomenon in our country. The real question is whether we are finally ready to stop it.
What Counts as Political Violence
Political violence is often misunderstood. It is not shouting at a rally or holding signs outside a courthouse. Political violence is when force or the threat of force is used to scare, punish, or control people for political reasons. Assassinations, bombings, armed plots, and targeted attacks all fall into this category.
And the data is clear: over the last 10 to 15 years, most political violence in the United States has come from the right. That is not a matter of opinion but the conclusion of both government agencies and independent researchers. From white supremacist violence to anti-government militias to the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the pattern repeats itself again and again.
Why It Matters
Politically motivated killings remain rare compared to overall homicide rates. Since the mid-1970s, only a few thousand terrorism-related deaths have occurred in the U.S., less than one percent of all murders. But that one percent matters disproportionately. These attacks are designed to undermine democracy itself, sending a message that participation in politics comes with mortal risk.
Why It Keeps Happening
America’s conditions are ripe for political violence:
A country awash in guns, where every argument can turn deadly.
A toxic information space, flooded with propaganda that glorifies violence as patriotic.
Elected officials, election workers, judges, and even school board members regularly harassed with little protection.
Leaders who look the other way, make jokes about “Second Amendment solutions,” or excuse violence when it comes from their own side.
When political leaders treat violence as a tool, it should not surprise us when their supporters adopt the same logic.
Lessons from Abroad
Other countries have faced worse and found ways to pull back from the brink.
Northern Ireland: After decades of bombings and shootings, the 1998 Good Friday Agreement restructured policing. Oversight and community trust transformed security forces from being seen as a political army into neutral protectors. Violence declined sharply.
Spain: For decades the government battled the Basque separatist group ETA. A mix of tough crackdowns and expanded political autonomy eventually left ETA with no path forward. In 2011, they abandoned violence, and by 2018 dissolved entirely.
Germany and Denmark: Both countries invested in exit programs for extremists, offering counseling, jobs, and mentorship from former militants. Many left extremist movements through these programs.
Colombia: The 2016 peace deal with FARC guerrillas included disarmament and rural investment. It was imperfect but lowered homicide rates to levels unseen in decades.
The common thread is clear: credible policing, political inclusion, prevention programs, and leaders consistently rejecting violence.
What America Must Do
The U.S. does not lack solutions. It lacks the will to apply them. A serious effort would look like this:
Draw bright lines. Every leader, in every party, must declare political violence disqualifying. No excuses. No half-hearted condemnations.
Build credible policing. Protect free speech and protest rights, but enforce consequences for threats and intimidation against public officials.
Invest in prevention. Develop large-scale exit programs and fund community groups that can pull people back from the edge before they act.
Protect democracy’s front line. Election workers, judges, and local officials must be given security resources, and threats must be treated as crimes.
Counter disinformation. After every attack, conspiracy theories and lies spread quickly, fueling more violence. Officials must move fast with facts to shut down scapegoating.
The Bottom Line
None of this is complicated. Other nations have treated political violence like a disease and worked to cure it. The United States treats it like entertainment, a chance for partisan finger-pointing. That difference is why we continue to fail.
One killing is one too many. The greater danger is when violence becomes normal, when the public shrugs it off as politics as usual. The solutions are not mysterious: draw bright lines, invest in prevention, protect democratic institutions, and deny extremists the power to dictate the rules.
We already know what works. The only question left is whether our leaders have the courage to act.
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—David
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"Leaders consistently rejecting violence". There's the rub David. Our "leaders" (I can not call them that with a straight face) are the very ones perpetuating the violence. How do we escape that truth?
We have a special problem in the U.S. right now where it is the government itself that is promoting the violence.