Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) called on lawmakers to listen to younger Americans in the wake of the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on Sunday.
Curtis, who represents the state where the shooting took place on Wednesday, called for those processing Kirk’s death to reach out to him via email in a post on X the day of the incident. The Utah Republican added he will “read every email personally as we work to process this tragedy together.”
“I remember when I lost a very good friend at that age, I kept wishing somebody would listen to how I felt,” Curtis told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz on This Week. “And I think part of the way we help this generation is to listen.”
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday afternoon. The conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder was a close ally of President Trump.
The alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody by the FBI late Thursday evening. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said in a Friday press conference that Robinson had become “more political” prior to the shooting of Kirk.
Curtis also criticized the impact of social media use on all generations, saying “there’s just zero liability for what people are putting out there.” Other lawmakers have expressed concerns over excessive social media use, specifically among Generation Z and Generation Alpha, in the aftermath of the shooting.
“I don’t think COVID helped. I think — we have to look really hard. I mentioned social media before,” Curtis noted. “I think we have to look really hard at what’s just occupying nearly 100 percent of brain weight of not just the youth but of all generations, and what’s coming across, and actually what we’re allowing to come across.”
Curtis, 65, was elected to the Senate last November. He previously spent over seven years representing Utah’s third congressional district, and was the mayor of Provo from 2010 to 2017.
He echoed similar sentiments about reaching out to others in an op-ed he penned for Deseret News on Friday.
“Let Charlie’s death be a tragic reminder of what is at stake,” Curtis said. “Let it move us not toward more division, but toward light. Repair a broken relationship. Reach out in kindness. Choose respect over ridicule, dignity over disdain.”
