In America today, it feels like we have forgotten disagreement is not a crime. We live in a nation built on the right to free speech, yet when someone voices an opinion that others do not like, the reaction too often turns violent. The assassination of Charlie Kirk made this painfully clear. Whether people loved him, hated him, or fell somewhere in between, he had the right to share his beliefs. He did not physically attack anyone. He did not force anyone to listen. He simply spoke his mind, and for that, he was shot. That is not justice; that is murder, and the person responsible deserves to face the full consequences of their crime.
The United States has long prided itself on protecting freedom of expression. The First Amendment guarantees the right to speak one’s mind without government suppression, but what we are now seeing is a different threat: suppression through violence. According to a report from ABC News, politically motivated violence has been on the rise in recent years, from assaults at rallies to targeted shootings. Charlie Kirk’s death is not just a tragedy for his family or his followers; it is a warning sign for the entire country. If people are murdered for their beliefs, then freedom of speech ceases to exist in practice, even if it remains on paper.
Personally, I do not side with political parties. I listen to candidates, I watch their actions and I make my choices based on who appeals to me. This changes depending on what they say and do, not the label next to their name. This kind of independence should be encouraged, but in today’s climate, it is often attacked. Blind loyalty to parties has divided America so deeply that people stop seeing each other as human beings. Instead of recognizing that we can disagree without hating or harming each other, too many act as though political difference makes someone the enemy. Charlie Kirk was not an enemy; he was a man with an opinion. I may not agree with everything he said, but he was not wrong to say it. He had courage to share what he believed, and for that courage, he was targeted.
The way a person is raised can play a role in how they see the world, though it does not fully determine their beliefs. Take abortion, for example. Personally, I would never choose to have one, but that is my decision. I firmly believe every woman, no matter her age, deserves the right to make that decision for herself. If my daughter or my best friend needed or wanted an abortion, I would stand by their right to choose. This is what freedom looks like. Freedom is not about forcing others to live exactly as you would; it is about ensuring every person has the same opportunity to make their own choices. Our society cannot function if differences in belief are treated as justification for violence. We must preserve the right to debate controversial issues without fear of guns, bloodshed or political assassination.
Yet the bloodshed continues. School shootings pile up year after year, leaving children and teenagers gunned down in places that should be the safest in the world. According to Education Week, as of Sept. 15, 2025, there have already been 11 school shootings with deaths or injuries this year, resulting in dozens of victims. Families bury their kids, and politicians recycle the same empty talking points. In April, two people were killed at Florida State University; in August, two children were murdered in Minneapolis and in September, three teens were critically wounded at a Colorado high school. These are not statistics, they are shattered families and traumatized communities.
The problem extends beyond schools. Just weeks ago, a young Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, was stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail train. She fled a war in her home country, seeking safety and peace in the United States, only to be murdered on public transportation. The suspect had a history of mental illness and prior arrests, yet he was still roaming free, able to kill an innocent young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. Her murder has sparked calls for increased transit safety, better mental health support and accountability in the justice system. Her story underscores how fragile safety has become in a nation that prides itself on opportunity and freedom.
The truth is simple: disagreement does not justify death. Charlie Kirk did not deserve to die for his opinions. Children do not deserve to die in their classrooms. Refugees do not deserve to die on public transit. People today are too quick to reach for weapons instead of words. That choice does not make them strong; it makes them cowards. Killing someone for their beliefs does not prove you are right, it proves you are afraid of being wrong.
If America wants to survive as a free nation, we need to relearn the art of listening. We need to stop making politics into war, stop turning every tragedy into a party weapon and start remembering that behind every opinion is a human being. Disagree, debate, even argue fiercely, but do not kill. Once we accept that violence is an answer to speech, we lose the very freedom that makes speech worth protecting. The solution will not come overnight, but it must begin with cultural change: valuing empathy, respecting differences and protecting the right to live and speak freely.
This is not about left or right. It is not about conservative or liberal. It is about humanity. Freedom only works if it is extended to everyone, not just those we agree with. Violence is not the answer, and if we allow it to be, then the America we claim to love will be gone forever.
Jo Ronk can be contacted at [email protected].
Jo Ronk is a freshman majoring in nursing at Marshall University from Hurricane, West Virginia.
