On Wednesday afternoon, Turning Point USA founder and right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. Shortly after, graphic close-up videos of the attack began proliferating on X and TikTok. Like many whose feed it came across, the moment I registered what I was seeing, I wished I hadn’t. Hours later, Utah officials confirmed Kirk had died, meaning that everyone who watched the video had essentially just viewed a snuff film.

It’s impossible to ignore the dark ironies inherent to Kirk’s killing, considering that mere moments before he was shot he was answering a question about transgender mass shooters in the US, a common fearmongering talking point among MAGA acolytes, or that in 2023 Kirk said that it was “worth it” to h

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