Ocasio-Cortez Blames Guns For Assassination of Charlie Kirk

In the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder and conservative leader Charlie Kirk, Democrats wasted no time politicizing the tragedy. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took to the cameras Wednesday, using the shocking event to push her party’s gun-control agenda.

In video captured by the Daily Caller News Foundation, Ocasio-Cortez dismissed questions about her party’s heated “doomsday” rhetoric toward President Donald J. Trump and his America First movement. Instead, she shifted blame to firearms and Republican opposition to restricting gun ownership.

“You know, beyond rhetoric, we need to talk about action,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Yes, we need to talk about…there are words…but most importantly, we are in the job of leadership. We are in a job of action. We are in a role, a position, where the American people are looking to us to do something about this.

“Every single day people are dying due to gun violence in America, and every single day, there are people in this building that continue to vote against doing anything,” she continued, pointing toward the Capitol.

While AOC turned the tragedy into another call for restrictions on the Second Amendment, Republicans and faith leaders across the country mourned Kirk’s loss and called for prayers.

The Assassination

Charlie Kirk was shot during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University at approximately 12:20 p.m. local time. Ellen Treanor, Associate Vice President of Strategic Communication Management at UVU, confirmed to Fox News:

“We had a speaker, Charlie Kirk, who was invited by a student group, Turning Point USA, who was speaking on campus today at noon. At about 12:20 shots were fired from a building about 200 yards from the speaker. To the best of our knowledge, the individual was hit and was taken away immediately by his security personnel. The campus is closed for the rest of the day and our campus police has a suspect in custody.”

Chilling video from the event shows Kirk responding to an audience member’s question about transgender mass shooters just moments before the fatal shot:

Audience member: “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?”
Kirk: “Too many.”

The attendee responded “five” before asking Kirk about the total number of mass shootings.
Kirk: “Counting or not counting gang violence?”

A split-second later, a gunshot rang out, and Kirk was struck in the throat as horrified students screamed.

Suspect Still at Large

Authorities initially detained one individual immediately after the shooting but later released him, determining he was not the gunman. FBI Director Kash Patel announced that another suspect had been taken into custody, but he too was released after further review.

As of Wednesday night, the shooter remains at large.

National Leaders Respond

President Trump issued a heartfelt statement:

“We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”

Vice President JD Vance posted on X:

“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) echoed the call for prayers, writing:

“I am tracking the situation at Utah Valley University closely. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk and the students gathered there.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote:

“Prayers for Charlie Kirk. An incredible Christian, American, and human being. May the healing hand of Jesus Christ be upon him.”

Even Democrats such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned the act of political violence, calling it “horrifying” and writing, “Political violence has no place in our country. We must speak with moral clarity.”

A Divided Response

While conservatives and Americans of faith united in mourning, Democrats like Ocasio-Cortez chose to exploit the murder of one of the right’s most influential young leaders to demand gun bans. Her remarks stand in sharp contrast to President Trump’s calls for prayer and national unity.

For many on the right, AOC’s reaction was a grim reminder of how little respect the modern Left shows for the victims of political violence—and how quickly they move to weaponize tragedy against their political opponents.