'Not A Gun Crisis': Erika Kirk Says Husband Charlie Kirk’s Murder Reflects A ‘Human Problem'

Last Updated:December 04, 2025, 14:25 IST

Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, emphasized mental health and societal issues over gun violence after Charlie was fatally shot in Utah.

Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, emphasized mental health and societal issues over gun violence after Charlie was fatally shot in Utah.

Erika Kirk, widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and CEO of Turning Point USA, pushed back against the idea that gun violence was the central issue behind her husband’s murder. Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck on September 10 during a campus event in Utah. The alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, is in custody.

Speaking with journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin at the closing session of The New York Times DealBook Summit on December 3, Erika reflected on debates Charlie often had about gun violence and the Second Amendment in the aftermath of mass shootings.

Sorkin asked how she viewed gun violence today.

Erika called it a “thoughtful question" but insisted the issue went beyond firearms.

“I support the Second Amendment," she said. “But there’s a bigger and much deeper conversation to all of that."

She said that during her visits to college campuses, counselors consistently cite mental health struggles, including anxiety and depression, as the biggest crises students face. Charlie, she noted, believed that “brain health" was foundational and often urged young people to prioritize nutrition, rest, and emotional well-being.

According to Erika, gun violence stems from deeper psychological and societal fractures—not from guns alone.

“You will always have individuals who resort to violence," she said. “What I’m afraid of is that we are living in a day and age where people think violence is the solution to not wanting to hear a different point of view. That’s not a gun problem. That’s a deeply human, soul problem. It’s a much deeper issue."

Erika also described withdrawing from social media after Charlie’s death, saying the online environment had become too toxic for her to navigate personally.

“Social media can be used for such good and such evil," she said. After the killing, she removed all apps from her phone and now relies on others to manage her accounts. “I do not have the brain space for that. After you cast the bloody body of the person you love, being called names does not matter."

She recalled that Charlie himself valued periodic disconnection. He observed the Sabbath each week by turning off his phone from Friday evening through Saturday, declaring “Shabbat Shalom" as he tossed it into a drawer. Those 24 hours, she said, allowed him to be fully present as a husband and father.

“He had this sacred moment to just breathe and to rest," Erika said. “To get away from the chatter and remember that life is so much bigger than the to-do list or whatever problem seems overwhelming in the moment."

News world 'Not A Gun Crisis': Erika Kirk Says Husband Charlie Kirk’s Murder Reflects A ‘Human Problem'

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