A Florida Democratic state representative said Wednesday during a floor debate that conservative activist Charlie Kirk wasn’t truly assassinated.
“He was not assassinated. And words being accurate matters. It was a death by gun violence,” Democratic state Rep. Ashley Viola Gantt said. “That is an issue here in the country that we should all be on the same page with addressing.”
Gantt and her colleagues were debating House Bill 125, titled “Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance,” which would designate Kirk’s birthday, Oct. 14, each year as a day of remembrance for the slain activist.
“We want to talk about exercising free speech. Let’s ball,” she said during the Florida House session. “So, the First Amendment protects free speech. We don’t need this day of remembrance for a man that was mediocre and racist. And I say mediocre at best. He was not a Floridian. He had no ties to Florida other than owning property.”
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Kirk, the 31-year-old founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University during his American Comeback Tour.
Kirk was a prominent figure in the conservative movement and widely credited by supporters for his key role in President Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory.
He founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at age 18, and his assassination, a term widely acknowledged as appropriate for his killing given Kirk’s prominence in politics, rocked the country.
Gantt said Kirk was “divisive” and undeserving of the proposed honor.
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“We have a number of Floridians, both individuals and organizations, that promote free speech that is not divisive like this individual was,” she said. “If we want to talk about free speech, let’s talk about being precise with our words.
“When we hear assassination, that’s typically related to a person and a political position. Charlie Kirk died from gun violence. OK? We continuously advocate for gun policy legislation that would ensure that people that probably shouldn’t have a gun don’t have a gun.
“So, was his passing tragic for those who love him? Absolutely,” Gantt added. “There is no denying that.”
Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for Turning Point USA, told Fox News Digital, “Democrats want to whitewash Charlie’s assassination as if it never happened, or they want to blame MAGA like Jimmy Kimmel, because to confront the truth is too painful for them.”
Kolvet added, “The truth is that political violence and assassination culture has been normalized on the left because far too many of them condone it, or outright endorse it. We utterly and totally condemn the ignorant, hateful comments from Florida State Rep. [Ashley] Viola Gantt. These types of statements will only contribute to more political violence. I hope that wasn’t her actual goal because I fear it will be the result.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Gantt for comment.
The bill passed the GOP-controlled House on a party line vote of 82-31. It also names a road in Miami-Dade County after Kirk.
State Rep. Bruce Antone, an Orlando Democrat, was also critical of the bill, saying Kirk didn’t have the accomplishments that would merit a day of remembrance.
“I just don’t know why we are honoring somebody who had no accomplishments, who hadn’t done anything, and who denigrated people that look like me,” he said.
