In the literary world, there’s a running joke about the line “and then, the murders began.” It basically means we can improve on lots of storylines with one simple change to the introduction: an attention-grabbing promise of drama and violence to come. In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s on-camera murder in front of thousands of people, that line resonates, not because this is a book waiting to be written — although it almost certainly will be — but because a lot of people feel that’s the line being presented as the only option for what’s to come.

After all, we have endless examples of how the anti-gun side of the aisle sees Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder. This isn’t a tragedy, not for many of them, this is a party. They didn’t like him or his ideas, so who cares if he’s dead? It’s a celebration. BYOH! (Bring Your Own Hate.)

The “tolerant left” is having a field day posting about Kirk’s murder. (Photo credit: X)

As a result of some of the abysmal reactions from the left side of the aisle, a lot of people are understandably very pissed off. Your social media feed is probably full of people saying the grisly murder of Kirk — which reportedly took place in front of his wife and kids, by the way — is the final straw.

This televised, single-shot assassination was the tipping point for so many who’ve struggled not to react to mounting threats and violence around them, or so they say. Cries of, “This is war!” and “The switch is flipped” fill my feed, along with similar sentiments. There’s a lot of rage out there, and I’m here to say I get it…but knock it off.

It’s true. All Kirk wanted to do was have open discourse and a healthy exchange of ideas. (Photo credit: X)

If it took this long for you to get enraged at the mounting violence from the left, you’re a little late to the party. Let’s be real: random (and not so random) acts of violence are the tool of choice for many on that side of the spectrum. No, it isn’t all of them, but there’s no denying statistics despite the left’s attempts to re-classify it (I’m looking at you, Everytown, for classifying Kirk’s assassination as a school shooting).

Many were already worked up over the horror of Iryna Zaruska’s stabbing, which hit the feeds hot this week (although it happened in August). The man who committed that heinous act had been previously arrested fourteen times and recently released into an unwitting public by North Carolina Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes. The judge unleashed the murderer based on a written promise to behave and, well, you know how that turned out.

Less than 24 hours before his own death, Kirk posted about the senseless stabbing murder of Iryna Zaruska.

Much has been said about that being the fault of the left and their notoriously lenient, criminal-slanted approach to law enforcement, but that’s really beside the point. Bottom line, people were stirred up on September 9 about Zaruska’s death and the look of terror on her face as she bled out. On September 10, that was only compounded — exponentially — by Kirk’s murder.

Look, I get it. I’m angry, too. You’d be a fool not to be angry about the downhill slide this nation’s been on for quite some time now. But taking to social media to swagger around and thump your chest while proclaiming “Let’s light this candle!” isn’t helping. Don’t make me drag out the lecture about how everything you post on social media is forever and discoverable. And don’t make me add that you should never interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake, or that you shouldn’t go to stupid places with stupid people and do stupid things.

Did I say ‘enemy?’ I did, and you can take that as you will. But please note, no one party, gender, race, or flavor of 7-11 Slurpee is the enemy. It can’t be lazily pigeonholed as being only one faction. After all, evil never dies, it only changes shape.

Personally, I wouldn’t call that the party of peace, love and understanding…

Let’s get to the point, here. I watched crystal-clear footage of Kirk’s assassination — because that’s what it was, a political assassination–countless times. It reminded me of the time many years ago that I sat in my living room and watched the beheading of Nick Berg. The eyes with which I watched Charlie Kirk’s killing are far more jaded now than those that watched Berg’s gruesome-yet-grainy death. And yet, I’m angrier. This monstrous act took place on American soil at an American university.

Charlie Kirk really did just want to talk. Yes, he was controversial and skilled at stirring the pot, but he believed if we just talked stuff out, we’d make it. Somehow we’d break down barriers and at least respectfully agree to disagree. As a result, Kirk’s body is cold, dead, and laid out on a slab in a morgue in Utah. If I could say one thing to him, I’d say, “Man, you can’t reason with unreasonable people.” But he knew that, didn’t he? He knew, and he still kept going.

💔🥹 pic.twitter.com/2ZGsqBnlbh

— CCP IS ASSHOE (@CCPISASSH0E) September 11, 2025

Many of you want to hit back. Turning the other cheek doesn’t come naturally. Hell, we’re the ones who carry firearms for self-defense. We’re not pushovers, right? Well, not being a pushover isn’t the same as making sure you’re reasonable, responsible, and pragmatic.

Speaking as someone who was raised to turn the other cheek even if it meant your own injury or demise, I can say that turning the other cheek is generally a load of bull. However, that doesn’t excuse those who rush headlong into battle with no thought for the consequences.

Did you ever consider that setting things off is exactly what the other side wants? And I don’t mean the left, I mean anyone and everyone who opposes personal liberty, freedom of speech, and yes, the right to bear arms. Has it occurred to you that maybe they want you irrationally angry? You don’t need to be a conspiracy theorist to see chess pieces being maneuvered by a (sort of) unseen hand.

Don’t give them what they want.

The rather famous Tony Moon–AKA Rooftop Korean–posted about September’s events thus far, and he’s right.

Want to forgive? Cool, but never forget. Prefer to hold a grudge? I get you, but don’t make it your entire personality.

What you can do — what you should do — is stand up for what’s right. Continue the ideal Kirk pushed, that we can talk things out, just don’t take it too far. There’s a quote that fits this, and it’s from a work of fiction, but that doesn’t diminish its accuracy:

When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say. – George R.R. Martin

Don’t let Kirk’s message die with him. You might not have agreed with everything he said, I certainly didn’t, but the general message remains. We don’t allow fear of retribution to silence us.

Now is the time to practice what I’ve taught my kids: you don’t start a fight, but you sure as hell finish it.

Before you think that means I’m saying to actively fight back, the answer is no. If you arm yourself and go…I don’t know, wherever, whatever, whenever…that isn’t finishing a fight. It’s picking a fight. You must find the balance, and it’s going to vary for each person due to differences in circumstances. Fights aren’t won by fools. And events like yesterday’s force a lot of people into the open. They’ve self-identified and it’s far better to know exactly who and what they are.

A friend posted on Facebook asking what the solution here is…how we move past this. The truth is that there is no solution and we also can’t move past it. Not really. There’s no clear path forward, but the escalating violence can’t simply be ignored. The reality is, all you can do is go about your life. Stay armed, stay aware, and never fail to be prepared. After all, it isn’t paranoid when they really are out to get you.

The world is a dangerous place, and you should be the most dangerous thing in it.

— Kat Ainsworth Stevens