Ron DeSantis condemns political violence in wake of Charlie Kirk shooting

On a day when conservatives hailed “open carry” becoming legal in Florida via judicial decision, one of the most high-profile unelected political figures on the Right was a target of gun violence two time zones away.

Florida’s Governor is urging calm and “reasoned debate” in the political sphere in the wake of the shocking shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on a Utah campus.

“We’re praying for him and his family. But I think we also have to reflect on the fact that the way to resolve political disputes is not through violence. And we see increasing levels of political violence in this country.” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in Miami of the “targeted” shooting.

Kirk was giving a speech when he reportedly was shot from 200 yards away by a sniper.

Motivations are unknown at this time.

DeSantis, who spoke through a persistent rain, contrasted the shooting with the rhetorical style and openness Kirk has embodied throughout his career.

“Charlie would go to college campuses and he would articulate views that were very much outside of what most of the professors were offering or what the campus culture was offering. And the way to do that is to ask questions, debate,” DeSantis said.

“That’s what the republic is based on. And what happened today was not just an attack on Charlie personally, but really an attack on the idea that we resolved these things through reason, debate and elections.”