Florida Lawmaker Says Charlie Kirk Was 'Fitting Sacrifice'

Florida lawmaker Steve Cody is facing calls to resign after he said that Charlie Kirk was a “fitting sacrifice” to gun manufacturers following the conservative activist’s assassination at a Utah college this week.

“Charlie Kirk is a fitting sacrifice to our Lords: Smith & Wesson. Hallowed be their names,” he wrote on Facebook in a now-deleted post. Smith & Wesson is a well-known manufacturer of firearms.

Cody, a councilman in the Miami-Dade village of Palmetto Bay, told Newsweek: “I will not be resigning.”

Why It Matters

Kirk’s death has provoked strong reaction online, with some prominent MAGA figures blaming the “radical left” for his death and even calling for “war,” while some critics of Kirk and his views have celebrated his death.

His shooting, along with the reactions on social media, demonstrates just how divided American politics has become. It follows a string of attacks on prominent political figures, including Trump, who narrowly survived an assassination attempt in June 2024, while in June of this year, a Democratic lawmaker was shot dead in Minnesota.

What To Know

Cody’s post sparked anger from supporters of Kirk. “The damage has already been done. It’s not a question of left or right. This is immoral and it shows which side he is on,” Palmetto Bay resident Chad Heffernan told CBS News Miami.

Dozens of residents also gathered outside Palmetto Bay City Hall on Friday to call for his resignation.

Among those calling for Cody’s resignation were Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Mayor Cunningham, who switched from Republican to No Party Affiliation in 2022, said Cody’s remarks were incompatible with his duties as an elected official.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, a Democrat, also called for his resignation.

Republican state Representative Omar Blanco described the remarks as “a stain on our community” and demanded Cody step down. The Republican Party of Miami-Dade also denounced the comments as “grotesque,” adding: “No public servant should ever condone or celebrate political murder. By mocking and justifying an assassination, Councilman Cody has forfeited the public trust. We call for his immediate removal from office.”

Cody later admitted regret, telling CBS News Miami: “If I had thought about it longer, I probably would have just kept that thought to myself.” He insisted he will not resign, noting he is term-limited and intends to serve through 2028.

MSNBC fired political analyst Matthew Dowd after he said of Kirk: “You cannot harbor these dreadful thoughts and express them without anticipating dreadful actions to follow. This unfortunate environment is where we find ourselves.”

Glen Turf, a senior official at Miami Country Day School, resigned, the Miami Herald reported, after commenting on Instagram: “He died. Oh well…He ironically promoted gun usage. Karma.”

Amid the reaction, some have called for an end to political division and violence, including Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican. “Our nation is broken,” he said, pleading that “all of us will try to find a way to stop hating our fellow Americans.”

A YouGov survey conducted on September 11 among 3,926 adults found that 11 percent of Democrats said it is “always” or “usually” acceptable to celebrate the death of a public figure they oppose, compared to 6 percent of Republicans.

Meanwhile, 38 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of Republicans said it was “always” unacceptable.

Overall, 9 percent of Americans say it is acceptable to celebrate such a death, while 78 percent said it is unacceptable.

Kelly Rader of the States United Democracy Center told Newsweek that despite renewed fears, research shows “regular Americans broadly reject political violence” across party lines.

What People Are Saying

Steve Cody told CBS News Miami: “It was something that I regretted doing…only after it was out, that I realized the pain it would cause not just to Charlie Kirk’s family and friends, but to a much wider community, and that was not my intent.”

Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham said, per CBS News Miami: “I find the post itself not fitting of the village of Palmetto Bay as elected officials. We are held to, I think, a higher bar…It’s certainly not something that I can support, and so I feel like it’s in the best interest of the community for us to pivot in a different direction.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, wrote on X: “If this Facebook post is legitimate, Steve Cody should resign from his position as Palmetto Bay Council member immediately.”

Miami-Dade Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins said, per the Miami Herald: “When elected, the people look to you to serve and to represent. The people also look to you to lead by example. When an elected official, entrusted with the confidence of his community, makes callous dangerous statements proclaiming that any American is a ‘fitting sacrifice’ to gun violence, it not only belies the confidence of his office, it makes clear that he is not fit for office.”

Kelly Rader of the States United Democracy Center told Newsweek: “There is no place for violence in our politics. While recent tragic events have renewed concerns that political violence is becoming socially acceptable, the best research shows that regular Americans broadly reject political violence. And that’s true across the political spectrum. People agree it’s a problem for democracy. These acts of violence demand our condemnation. It’s clear the public believes that political violence is unacceptable and must never be normalized.”