Speech was under attack before Kirk’s murder

To the Editor:

A recent guest opinion “urge[s] all Americans to see [Charlie] Kirk’s tragic death as a call to speak” ( “Don’t let free speech die with Charlie Kirk,” Sept. 18, 2025). Indeed, after reading the opinion, I feel compelled to do so. The writer suggests that if we don’t universally condemn Kirk’s murder, “the sanctity of the First Amendment died with Charlie Kirk.” While I, of course, agree that we should condemn the murder, and other acts of political violence , I don’t agree with the implication that the threat of violence from private actors is the primary deterrent to people speaking their minds in the current political moment.

Although the guest opinion made no mention of it, it should be noted that in the wake of Kirk’s

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