The shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk has caused understandable distress for so many Americans, including not just his fans and supporters but millions of other people who are rightly dismayed by the prospect of political violence. That's partly because we just aren't accustomed to it: While it is commonplace for politicians and media figures to warn of violent political rhetoric leading to more actual violence, it remains the case that ideologically motivated killings of national figures are blessedly rare. The targeted attacks on members of Congress such as Reps. Gabby Giffords (D–Ariz.) and Steve Scalise (R–La.), as well as the attempted assassinations of presidents Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford, are memorable because this type of violence doesn't happen very often.
Kirk's grisly murder—which was captured on video and watched on social media by millions of people—is unusual and profoundly unsettling. Many people are processing their grief in ways that are edifying: spontaneous vigils hosted by individuals whose lives were changed by him, kind remembrances of his approach to politics penned by his ideological foes, and so on.
Others are not. In fact, many of Kirk's most ardent fans are now engaged in one of the largest mass cancellation efforts of all time: Some Republican legislators, MAGA activists, and conservative media figures are assembling watchlists with the explicit aim of silencing, firing, expelling, and perhaps even criminalizing any and all anti-Kirk sentiment. Rep. Clay Higgins (R–La.) wants to use explicit government pressure to crush anyone who "ran their mouth" and belittled the gravity of Kirk's death; top Trump advisor Stephen Miller is vowing some kind of unspecified crackdown on the right's political enemies; and conservative influencers are writing down the names and professions of Kirk besmirchers and calling their employers. Vice President J.D. Vance, filling in as a guest host on Kirk's show, instructed viewers to engage in unrestricted cancelling.
