Conservative Outrage After Charlie Kirk’s Killing Highlights Double Standards

In the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s tragic killing, conservative leaders have launched campaigns to ostracize or fire those who criticized him. While this response has been forceful and immediate, many observers note a stark inconsistency: conservatives’ reactions to previous acts of political violence — and to the ongoing epidemic of school shootings — have been far less vocal or action-oriented.

Violence Against Democrats: June’s Tragedy

On June 14, 2025, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in what authorities called a politically motivated attack. That same morning, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot (but survived). The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, impersonated a police officer, carried multiple firearms, and had compiled a target list of Democratic lawmakers and abortion rights advocates.

Despite the gravity of these attacks, conservative leaders did not mount the same sustained campaigns of outrage or accountability that we are seeing now after Kirk’s death.

The Broader Pattern: Silence After School Shootings

This pattern extends beyond political violence. When mass shootings occur in schools across the United States, many of the same conservative figures who are now demanding swift firings and public condemnation often fall silent or pivot away from action. Proposals for gun safety reforms are routinely dismissed, moments of mourning quickly fade, and calls for accountability stall in partisan deadlock.

Observers point out the sharp contrast: critics of Kirk are being targeted for their words, yet when children are killed in classrooms, conservatives frequently resist even the most basic reforms, often offering “thoughts and prayers” without follow-through.

Selective Outrage Undermines Trust

• Consistency matters: Condemning violence only when it affects one political side undermines credibility and public trust.

• Free speech concerns: Punishing critics for commentary while ignoring or excusing rhetoric in other tragedies creates a chilling effect on expression.

• Public safety: A lack of meaningful action on recurring tragedies — like school shootings — shows how selective outrage can prevent genuine solutions.

The killing of Charlie Kirk is undeniably tragic, and it is natural to grieve and call for accountability. But the selective intensity of today’s conservative outrage — compared with muted responses after Democrats were assassinated in June or after the countless school shootings that plague communities nationwide — raises urgent questions about priorities and consistency.

To move forward as a nation, political leaders must condemn violence everywhere it occurs, protect free expression fairly, and address systemic crises like gun violence with the same urgency now being applied to the death of one political figure.