BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The assassination of Charlie Kirk last week sent shockwaves across the nation, raising urgent questions about the role of political violence in the public square.

“It’s one thing to be polarized and disagree about politics, but it’s quite another when people start using weapons against each other,” said Dr. Robert Hogan, chair of LSU’s political science department.

Randall Gaines, Louisiana Democratic Party chairman, echoed this sentiment: “We have to condemn it, stand against it, and we can’t tolerate it as a country or as a state.”

Derek Babcock, Louisiana Republican Party chairman, added, “People don’t value the lives of others the way we used to.”

But is this level of political violence new in America? Dr. Hogan says no.

“The sad truth in American politic

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