"The killing of Charlie Kirk has left the US and those who care about it on edge. The arrest of a suspect, Tyler Robinson, has hardly settled the nerves, not when the revelation of any supposed political allegiances could touch off a fresh round of recriminations. The fear is that the country is about to descend into a new era of political violence, becoming a place where differences are settled not with words and argument but by guns and blood."
"For every 100 Americans, there are 120 guns. For another, today's information supply is dominated by social media, amplifying the most extreme voices and rewarding the angriest sentiments. Where once the CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite could break the news of a presidential assassination and provide sombre balm, now grief is inflamed into fury, with footage of Kirk's horrific shooting entering global circulation mere moments after his death."
The killing of Charlie Kirk and the arrest of Tyler Robinson have intensified fears that political violence could escalate in the US. Any revelation of political allegiances risks renewed recriminations and polarisation. The country has a history of violent political conflict and assassinations, but current conditions differ: private gun ownership is far greater, with more than 850 million firearms worldwide and about 120 guns per 100 Americans. Social media now amplifies extreme voices and inflames anger, and graphic footage circulated immediately after the shooting. Historical presidential responses of condemnation and calls for unity may be less certain today.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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