A powerful rifle. A packed tent. And one bullet that never exited.
For those who were standing just feet behind Charlie Kirk, his final act may have been the ultimate shield.
Remembered as a “giant of his generation”
Yesterday, thousands gathered inside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, to honor the life of Charlie Kirk — and among them were some of the most powerful figures in America. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Kirk’s widow, Erika, all took the stage to pay tribute in a service filled with grief, faith, and raw emotion.
Trump remembered Kirk as a “giant of his generation” and declared that America is “a nation in shock and mourning,” while Vance said Kirk had “changed the course of history.” But it was Erika Kirk’s tearful call for people to “choose Christ” — and her stunning decision to forgive her husband’s killer — that left the entire stadium on its feet in a powerful ovation.
Widely used during both World Wars
The 31-year-old conservative activist was gunned down on September 10 while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.
Authorities revealed that the gun used to kill Charlie Kirk wasn’t just any hunting rifle — it may have been a decades-old, untraceable weapon.
Prosecutors identified it as a Mauser Model 98 .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle, a firearm first developed in Germany and widely used during both World Wars.
Officials noted the weapon could even predate the 1968 U.S. law passed after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, which required all firearms to carry serial numbers or other markings. Because of that, tracking the weapon’s history could prove nearly impossible.
According to a report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), it’s extremely uncommon for this type of rifle to be used in crimes.
“I just spoke with the surgeon..”
In the days following Charlie Kirk’s shocking death, another startling detail has emerged: doctors believe his body itself may have shielded others from being killed.
According to the surgeon who tried to save Kirk’s life, the bullet didn’t behave the way it should have. Instead of ripping straight through, it stopped inside his neck.
“I just spoke with the surgeon who worked on Charlie in the hospital… He said the bullet ‘absolutely should have gone through, which is very very normal for a high powered, high velocity round. I’ve seen wounds from this caliber many times and they always just go through everything. This would have taken a moose or two down, an elk, etc.,’” TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet shared on X.
Kolvet continued: “But it didn’t go through. Charlie’s body stopped it.”
The surgeon reportedly told Kolvet that Kirk’s bone strength may have been what made the difference.
“It was an absolute miracle that someone else didn’t get killed. His bone was so healthy and the density was so so impressive that he’s like the man of steel. It should have just gone through and through. It likely would have killed those standing behind him too,” the doctor said.
“I don’t think he ever shot a gun”
Kolvet added that the coroner later found the bullet lodged just beneath Kirk’s skin.
“Even in death, Charlie managed to save the lives of those around him,” he wrote.
The FBI has since announced that Tyler Robinson, their prime suspect, is in custody after being turned in by his own father, a Republican voter. Robinson’s grandmother, however, insists authorities “have the wrong man.”
“I don’t think he ever shot a gun, to tell you the truth,” Debbie Robinson, 61, told Daily Mail. “He doesn’t hunt, he’s never liked anything like that. I know he doesn’t own any guns. There’s just no way he could have been that good of a shot.”
Before his arrest, Robinson allegedly joked with friends about the blurry surveillance photos the feds had released of a thin young man in a cap and sunglasses.
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