People gather before marching in memory of Charlie Kirk in Peoria, Ariz., on Sept. 13, 2025. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

Alain Stephens is an investigative reporter covering gun violence, arms trafficking, and federal law enforcement.

It would be easy to believe America is tipping into an era of rampant political bloodshed.

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, voices from across the spectrum sounded alarms that the shooting was just the latest flashpoint in a rising tide of violence.

Progressive commentator Hasan Piker, shaken after watching video of Kirk’s murder, warned his audience of “people looking for decentralized forms of violence.” A Reuters analysis was even more blunt, declaring Kirk’s killing “a watershed moment in a surge of U.S. politica

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