Erika Kirk Tells Forum It's Not a Gun Violence Problem We Should Be Worried About

We’ve had several stories coming out of the New York Times’ DealBook Summit that took place Wednesday, including Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nutty way of sitting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demolishing the media right to their faces over their silly narrative about Trump's health, and Hollywood actress Halle Berry telling the crowd that Newsom should not become our next president because he overlooks women.

SEE: Mic Drop: Scott Bessent Demolishes Media to Their Faces Over Narrative About Trump's Health

Hot Takes: Internet Has a Ball Mocking Newsom’s Eyebrow-Raising Sitting Pose

But wait, there’s more!

Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, widow of the assassinated co-founder Charlie, closed out the summit and spoke with moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin. After the tragedy she went through in September when her husband was killed by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in yet another disgusting case of domestic terrorism in this country, she had some profound things to say about faith, guns, and grief.

“I’m curious how you think, today, about gun violence in America, given what happened?” Sorkin asked her. Kirk:

“It’s a thoughtful question, and I wouldn’t wish upon anyone what I have been through, and I support the Second Amendment, as well. I do,” Erika Kirk said. “But there’s a bigger and much deeper conversation to all of that.”
“And it’s interesting, because if you go on a campus and you ask a counselor, ‘What is the number one or number two thing that these students are facing?’ They will always say, ‘Mental health, anxiety, depression.’ Those are usually the top three,” the widow added.

Watch:

Erika Kirk says she's afraid "we are living in a day and age" where people think "violence is the solution to them not wanting to hear a different point of view. That's not a gun problem... that is a soul problem." pic.twitter.com/iNymAah7JO
— Libby Emmons (@libbyemmons) December 4, 2025

She continued, noting that her late husband prioritized the subject of mental health and well-being in his advocacy:

What Charlie knew — and he was trying to explain to students on campus — was that you have to understand that brain health is so important.
How you eat, how you take care of yourself, how you nourish yourself, how you rest. And, to him, it was much more deeper and intricate.
What I’ve realized through all of this is that you can have individuals that will always resort to violence.

It’s not guns that are shooting people, she said. It’s troubled people.

And what I’m afraid of, is that we are living in a day and age where they think violence is the solution to them not wanting to hear a different point of view.
That’s not a gun problem. That’s a deeply human problem. That is a soul problem. That is a mental, that is a very deeper issue.

Powerful words indeed.

SEE: New Poll on Charlie Kirk's Alleged Assassin Confirms You Don't Despise the Media Enough

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Mrs. Kirk is slated to appear with CBS News Editor‑in‑Chief Bari Weiss later this December to talk about grief and political violence in what is sure to be a fascinating discussion.

JUST ANNOUNCED: @CBSNews to present A TOWNHALL WITH ERIKA KIRK moderated by CBS News editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss. Kirk will talk about the murder of her husband, Charlie Kirk, rising political violence in America, the future of the right, and faith.

📺 Watch Sat., Dec. 13 at… pic.twitter.com/Driz92ITwm
— CBS News PR (@CBSNewsPress) December 4, 2025