Tyler Robinson loved guns.
His mother posted a picture of him posing with an M2 Browning 50 calibre machine gun. Photos of him and his brothers with every type of weapon littered social media. He went to gun shows with his parents and was given a gun kit for Christmas.
He also liked gaming. And putting provocative comments online.
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Robinson lived with his parents, both registered Republicans, in a $600,000 house in a comfortable Utah suburb.
At first glance, the 22-year-old looks to be the kind of young man who might attend a Charlie Kirk rally to offer his support. Maybe a Turning Point USA member.
His father, Matt, is said to be an avid Trump supporter.
Clearly, much will become clear about Robinson’s motivations in the weeks and months to come as the authorities speak to those closest to him.
No rational person would shoot someone in cold blood from 200 yards, whatever their beliefs.
But one thing does seem obvious: Robinson is not a central-casting, rabble-rousing, far-left activist. He sounds about as far as you can get from antifa. He drove a Dodge Challenger, for goodness’ sake.
In his interview on Friday with Fox & Friends, Trump said there were “indications” of his motives while he continued to condemn left-wing radicals. The president’s motivations, at least, were evident.
If Trump knows more about this young man’s reasons for committing such a heinous act, maybe he should let the country know.
Because right now America is riven in two, with outspoken MAGA supporters talking about going to war with Democrats over Kirk’s death. They see it as a political assassination.
And maybe it is. But not necessarily in the way that they are suggesting.
For nearly a decade, since Donald Trump first came to power, families across the country have argued politics over the dinner table.
It used to be often the case that Republican parents were pitched against their left-leaning children. The young tend to be idealistic—worries about taxes and protecting what they have come later.
These days, though, it is not as clear-cut as Trump, and many of the older among us might assume.
It is likely, as Utah Governor Spencer Cox disclosed, that Robinson’s family had watched him change from a 4.0 average student who won a $32,000 scholarship to Utah State University into an angry, opinionated young man unsure about his own role in a world he saw as flawed.
That is not unusual. Any parent with older teenagers can understand.
Cox, a Republican, incidentally, said a family friend recalled a discussion at the dinner table when Robinson harangued them about how he “didn’t like (Kirk) and the viewpoints he had.”
It has also been reported that Robinson had become more radicalized. Cox said he was “full of hate and spreading hate,” but he didn’t offer any specifics.
What is unclear is how his ideas diverged from Kirk, who argued forcefully at colleges around the country in favor of the place guns have in American culture.
There are apparent contradictions. “Hey fascist! Catch!” was supposedly engraved on the side of some ammunition casing left with his abandoned rifle. On another, were scratched the words “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,” referencing a popular Italian anti-fascist song. It is also the theme tune to the popular Netflix show Money Heist, a Spanish TV series about a motley crew of robbers trying to carry out the perfect crime, which has altogether less sinister connotations. Gamers know it from Far Cry 6.
A third casing, found in the gun chamber, was engraved “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”
And another, “Notices Bulges ‘OwO What’s This?”, is said to mock people who roleplay as “furries,” dressing as animal characters.
As another Netflix show, Adolescence, has taught us, it is hard for older adults to understand the rapidly evolving online language of the young.
There are claims online, without any evidence, that Robinson was a devotee of the Groyper Army, an alt-right, white nationalist movement led by Nick Fuentes, who has spoken of his abhorrence at the killing—but who had been a critic of Kirk. Fuentes demanded more transparency on Friday from the White House, writing: “Release all the information about the assassin and his Discord contacts. Everyone must be investigated. Tell us the plan. How will the government stop this from ever happening again?”
It seems unlikely that Robinson changed his mind about owning guns, as he allegedly used one to such devastating effect. Maybe he took issue with some of Kirk’s other views. He wasn’t thinking rationally, after all.
Robinson’s mother, Amber, works for Intermountain Support Coordination Services, a company that helps disabled people get care. His father, Matt, works for the family construction company. The Robinsons attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Mrs Robinson described her son, the eldest of three boys, as “a genius” in a 2020 Facebook post and shared his impressive ACT grades for English, mathematics, and science.
He earned straight As, achieving a 4.0 GPA, in middle school.
“His options are endless!” she wrote. “He’ll pick a Utah college and stay close to mamma.”
According to Trump, the alleged shooter’s father played a major role in persuading his son to give himself up after speaking to a family minister. Despite all of Kash Patel’s posturing, the 33-hour manhunt ended with a whimper, with Robinson surrendering to a sheriff’s office in southwest Utah.
It must be every family’s second-worst nightmare: handing over a child to the authorities for committing a crime.
The worst nightmare is losing a child or a loved one to a murderer’s capriciousness.
Charlie Kirk lived for debate and thrived on having arguments out in the open, where everyone’s opinions could be heard.
As difficult as it is to agree with Fuentes, he is right on this occasion.
Trump, Patel, and their mouthpieces need to end the speculation and the anger over why Kirk was killed, and tell us everything they know as soon as possible.
My guess is that a confused, lost young man was so desperate to be heard in a country that wasn’t listening that he lost his mind.
Not Right or Left. Just Wrong.
