You’re Right to Be Mad About Charlie Kirk

Conservatives have every right to be furious. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was more than a personal tragedy — it was an attack on one of America’s most fundamental promises: that political disputes are settled through debate, not violence. Kirk embodied the idea that free speech and open discourse should triumph over threats and intimidation. That promise was further diminished — perhaps even shattered — when Kirk was taken from this earth by a coward with a gun.

This moment demands more than mourning and it should force us to ask a difficult question: how did we get here?

Conservatives and Republicans have increasingly found themselves disproportionately targeted by politically motivated violence — a form of domestic terrorism. From the shooting of Congressman Steve Scalise during a congressional baseball practice, to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, the pattern is impossible to ignore.

These are not isolated events. They are part of a broader escalation in which political disagreements are no longer resolved at the ballot box, but through intimidation, harassment, and, too often, deadly force. America has always endured political divisions, but today’s climate is more combustible than anything seen in decades — and the consequences are proving fatal.

We must be honest about the factors driving this instability. While passions run high on both sides, one cannot ignore that progressive activists, Democratic leaders, and their allies in the media have increasingly chosen a dangerous strategy: framing conservatives not just as opponents, but as existential threats to democracy itself.

• Only one side routinely labels its political opponents as “literally Hitler.”

• Only one side holds rallies chanting that their adversaries are “tyrants” and “kings.”

• Only one side embraced slogans like “Democracy Dies in Darkness” as a moral mantra.

When citizens are repeatedly told that their political rivals are no different from genocidal dictators, is it any wonder some act as though violence is justified? If you convince people a fascist is in power, assassination becomes — in their minds — an act of patriotism.

We’ve already seen the results: the Butler shooting, escalating street clashes, and Antifa “peaceful protests” that ended in smashed windows, torched police cars, and injured civilians. These outcomes are not random — they are the logical conclusion of a political culture that treats disagreement as dehumanization.

When political strategies rely on branding your opposition as evil rather than persuading voters, it signals something deeper: your ideas are weak. Comparing fellow Americans to dictators and murderers doesn’t strengthen democracy — it erodes it. It poisons civic discourse, invites instability, and fuels a cycle where rage justifies violence.

This isn’t about silencing anyone. I am a staunch believer in the First Amendment and will defend the right to speak freely, even when I disagree. Criticize, mock, insult — that’s part of a free society. But when leaders, journalists, and activists escalate their language to extremes, they share responsibility for the chaos that follows.

Charlie Kirk’s death should serve as a wake-up call — not just for conservatives, but for every American. Political violence is becoming normalized, and the refusal to confront the toxic rhetoric driving it makes more tragedies inevitable.

Conservatives are right to be angry. We have watched friends, leaders, and voices be targeted simply for their beliefs. But outrage must be paired with resolve. We honor Kirk’s memory not only by mourning him, but by defending the values he stood for: open debate, robust disagreement, and persuasion over force.

America cannot survive if ballots are replaced with bullets. The country owes Charlie Kirk — and itself — better.

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Rep. Ross Berry is the Chair of the House Election Law Committee and represents the towns of Goffstown and Weare.