A recent incident at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, has sparked controversy after a student was filmed making inflammatory remarks about the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. The encounter took place during a tabling event organized by members of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization, on the university campus.
According to reports from Frontlines TPUSA, the student approached the group and, in a shocking moment, questioned why he shouldn’t feel pleased about Kirk’s assassination. “Why shouldn’t I be glad that [Charlie Kirk] got shot? Like honestly?” the student provocatively asked the Turning Point members.
The exchange quickly escalated into a debate over gun control, during which the student reiterated his controversial stance. Despite expressing support for the Second Amendment, he disturbingly stated, “I’m just glad Charlie Kirk got shot because he said some really stupid s—.”
The video, shared by Turning Point USA, showcases the tense interaction and has since been circulated widely, drawing reactions from various corners of the political spectrum. The incident raises questions about the limits of free speech and the responsibilities that come with expressing one’s views on sensitive topics.
A student at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, standing inside a campus building in late 2025, tells Turning Point USA chapter members that he celebrated founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination. (Courtesy: @FrontlinesTPUSA)
“I wanna — I’m for the Second Amendment — I’m just glad Charlie Kirk got shot because he said some really stupid s—,” he said.
The student was asked whether he had ever said “stupid s—.”
“Well yeah, but —” he said, before being cut off by a Turning Point member, who asked if he should be shot for stupid things he has said.
“No, well, because I didn’t call for — I didn’t say that gun violence is necessary,” the student replied.
During his career as a conservative commentator, Kirk argued that, while tragic, school shootings don’t justify infringing on the Second Amendment, and in any case, criminals would still have access to guns.
“I’m just saying, I think it’s good Charlie Kirk got shot because he got what he preached. He said that violence is necessary. He said that empathy is a weakness. Why should I be empathetic to that?” the student argued.
Hamline University hosts the Class AA girls’ pole vault at the 2006 State Boys’ and Girls’ Track and Field Meet. (Joey McLeister/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Kirk never said empathy is a “weakness,” but did say on a 2022 episode of his podcast that he disliked the term.
“He got shot because he called for it,” the provocateur continued. “He said bring it on. I watched the video of him getting shot in the neck and I clapped.“
“That’s so sad,” a Turning Point student replied.
“I don’t think it is yet. I think bad people deserve to die,” the Kirk opponent said.
The students then launched into a brief debate about fascism, with the agitator claiming that President Donald Trump is a fascist.
Nationwide, there have been several instances of people publicly celebrating or mocking Charlie Kirk’s shocking assassination.
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is assassinated during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Less than a week after Kirk’s Sept. 10 killing in broad daylight while holding an event on the Utah Valley University campus, a student on the Clemson University campus was caught on video mocking the commentator, who left behind a wife and two young children.
Around the same time, a Texas Tech University student disrupted a Kirk vigil on campus, yelling, “”F— y’all homie dead, he got shot in the head.” That student was expelled.
A Chicago public school teacher was also accused of making light of Kirk’s death during a “No Kings” protest in October. She was caught on video making a gun symbol with her fingers, putting it to her neck, and pulling the imaginary trigger.
“Hamline University does not condone violence in any form,” the school said in a brief statement.
