Overview
- Charlie Kirk was shot in the throat with a rifle during a Q&A at Utah Valley University, according to editorial accounts.
- Authorities and commentators say key details about the shooter, including motive or political intent, remain unconfirmed.
- Utah permits open carry on college campuses, officials have said students as young as 18 may openly carry, and concealed carry is also allowed.
- A Florida appeals court declared open carry legal in the state, a move critics argue conflicts with a 2015 Florida Supreme Court ruling.
- Gun-policy experts say open-carry rules complicate event security and note data linking stronger laws to lower gun-death rates, with the CDC tallying nearly 47,000 U.S. firearm fatalities in 2023 and Massachusetts recording one of the lowest per-capita rates.