The shooting death of Turning Point USA cofounder Charlie Kirk in broad daylight was as shocking as it was tragic. Where do we go from here? USA TODAY readers react in our latest Opinion Forum.

It's been nearly two weeks since conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a Utah college campus in broad daylight. Since then, Americans of every political stripe have pointed the finger at anything and everything: memes, gaming and always-online culture, social media, the far right and far left, respectively, and, of course, guns.

Though political violence is rare in America, moments like these have a way of putting us on our heels – and at each other's throats. Platitudes are no longer enough. Politicians are calling for our country to turn down the temperature before things boil over, but what does that really mean? Where, realistically, does America go from here?

Dozens of USA TODAY readers responded to that question and others in our latest Opinion Forum. Read on for a collection of their reactions below.

As a doctor, this is my plea to our leaders on guns

I’m a doctor who has victims of gun violence as patients. My patients – of all political affiliations – are my first priority, and I say this out of love for them: This is a complicated issue that requires a lot of humility and nuanced discussion for real solutions to be reached, and the effort must be bipartisan.

Our elected leaders, both Democrats and Republicans, must put aside their egos and stop capitalizing on these tragedies for political gain. Furthermore, our leaders must stop spreading misinformation and sowing discord as they explain gun violence. Gun violence is not a product of antidepressants, feminism, gender dysphoria or other explanations that some politicians promote. This moral posturing without an evidence base is dangerous and irresponsible.

Finally, our politicians across the board must understand that hateful, divisive rhetoric, provocative behavior, and devaluing the compassion we owe each other has consequences. Hateful, violent beliefs engender hateful, violent actions, and these actions led to the death of a young father. No matter where you land on the political spectrum, that is a tragedy ‒ it could have been anyone. These views are my own, and not necessarily shared by any institution with which I am affiliated.

— Chloe Lee, Rochester, New York

Charlie Kirk's assassination feels like that of MLK Jr.

I feel like our lifetime's version of Martin Luther King Jr., Charlie Kirk, was just assassinated. This was a man who used truth to fight evil. He used civil discourse to challenge the lies and propaganda so prevalent in our society today. He did this peacefully and treated his enemies graciously. And he was assassinated for it, just like MLK.

America absolutely has a political violence problem. When one side of the political arena weaponizes the media, the government and the education system to attack opposing points of view systematically, it is inevitable. You stop it by unequivocally standing on truth. Report truth, teach truth, protect truth.

Our elected leaders spew hatred day after day against their opponents and their constituents. Never forget that former President Joe Biden declared MAGA "extremists" a threat to democracy, and the media runs with it and fuels the narrative. You stop the extension of violence when you stop spreading lies.

Elected leaders use hateful rhetoric against their opponents with disregard for the truth. I don't think our elected leaders have much accountability to their constituents ‒ only their donors. Term limits and fiscal accountability are a must.

— Renee Motyka, Taylorsville, Kentucky

We, the American people, are the problem here

How do I feel in the aftermath of Kirk's death? Horrified, sad, angry and dismayed. Broken-hearted for the people in his life, especially his children.

I believe America has a problem with violence and anger overall, not just political violence. The powder keg of constant media interaction mixed with an immaturity of emotion leads so many to walk around constantly angry and inflamed by headlines and online arguments. Human interaction is now an electronic exchange without nuance, a battle for likes and like-minded opinion, ready for battle against those who dare to disagree.

Our political rhetoric reflects the lack of decorum or respect we, the people, exhibit daily. As long as we continue to celebrate every "gotcha" moment, cheer every insult delivered by our side's favorite mouthpiece, and dehumanize everyone with whom we disagree, we'll have that problem. How do we tone down vitriol? Implement standards of public discourse that allow for commentary beyond a sound bite or headline. Demand more of our news media and entertainment, which have devolved to clickbait.

Our leaders spend the election cycle convincing us how dangerous the other side is, with proclamations of grim futures should the wrong side be elected. They then spend their time in office fundraising for the next election by convincing everyone that if they just had another term, they could prevent the calamity of the other side winning. It's been a long time since we've had leaders; we have carnival barkers now, just trying to get more suckers in the tent.

The American political system isn't the problem. The American people are the problem. We have more knowledge, technology and information at our fingertips than at any point in human history. With that, we have chosen not to improve ourselves or others. Instead, we invest in pornography, influencers, entertainers, conspiracy and gossip. Americans have a long history of rejecting any criticism of themselves. Anyone expecting improvement from Americans is cast as not loving America. We fetishize patriotism through military worship and flag lapel pins, which is much easier than actually helping our neighbor. We, the people, need to expect a lot more from the people.

— Troy Gorda, Springfield, Illinois

Our two-party system won't let us find common ground

This never should have happened. Kirk had every right to express his beliefs and opinions free from fear of retaliation of any kind. Any violence, from a punch in the face to a gunshot to the neck, is motivated by political discourse. And yes, America has a serious problem with it. A fresh injection of wisdom in political discussion is desperately needed.

Too often, rhetoric is driven from a place of anger and fear. Villainizing opposition is the root cause of all political violence, as it dehumanizes those we disagree with. Holding a conviction to your beliefs is wonderful, but wisdom in how to share those views in a way that is constructive and respectful is essential.

Our political leaders − the ones with the tallest platforms and the loudest microphones ‒ have the responsibility to show such wisdom in these discussions. Anyone calling out the "insane, radical left" (looking at you, Mr. President) or "hateful MAGA" is only contributing to the problem.

I wish we weren't caught in a two-party system. It seems to be a leading contributor to the polarization we're seeing today as each party moves further away from each other on ideals. A solid middle ground needs to be found and held.

— Joshua Ruth, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

We bear responsibility for letting politics tear us apart

I feel such profound sadness. Kirk, while not representing 100% of my views, gave a voice to American citizens who felt they could not be conservative on college campuses. The systematic destruction of freedom of speech on our campuses is heartbreaking. We lost the day he was fatally shot. In the big game of acceptance and tolerance, we all lost.

America has a newfound problem with political violence. I remember how upset my parents were about who I was voting for the first time I was going to vote, but they didn’t yell at me, berate me or criticize me. What have we become that families are now estranged because of political beliefs? We need, as individuals and as citizens, to recognize that we hold different views. That is freedom of speech!

The liberal news media is the No. 1 reason political rhetoric is out of control. I try every day to read and listen to both sides; however, some reporting is so biased it doesn’t even pretend to represent various sides of an issue. Calling leaders and citizens Nazis and lowlifes or ignorant because their political views may be different than mine is the true definition of ignorance.

The violent rhetoric that comes from Democratic leaders is shocking to me. I can’t recognize them anymore. Where has common decency gone? Find common ground. Agree to disagree, but decide and make a change for the good of all people.

Our leaders, from President Donald Trump to all living past presidents, hold the biggest responsibility of all. But we all bear a responsibility for what happened to Charlie Kirk. If you no longer talk to a family member, friend or colleague, you bear a responsibility.

— Donna Friedeck, Brookfield, Wisconsin

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: America has a problem with violence. But politics aren't the problem, we are. | Your Turn

Reporting by Opinion Forum / USA TODAY

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