The Charlie Kirk Show - What Australia's Bondi Beach Shooting Reveals

00:00:03.000 My name is Charlie Kirk.

00:00:05.000 I run the largest pro-American student organization in the country fighting for the future of our republic.

00:00:11.000 My call is to fight evil and to proclaim truth.

00:00:14.000 If the most important thing for you is just feeling good, you're going to end up miserable.

00:00:19.000 But if the most important thing is doing good, you'll end up purposeful.

00:00:24.000 College is a scam, everybody.

00:00:26.000 You got to stop sending your kids to college.

00:00:27.000 You should get married as young as possible and have as many kids as possible.

00:00:31.000 Go start a Turning Point USA college chapter.

00:00:33.000 Go start a Turning Point USA high school chapter.

00:00:35.000 Go find out how your church can get involved.

00:00:37.000 Sign up and become an activist.

00:00:39.000 I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade.

00:00:41.000 Most important decision I ever made in my life.

00:00:43.000 And I encourage you to do the same.

00:00:45.000 Here I am.

00:00:46.000 Lord, use me.

00:00:48.000 Buckle up, everybody.

00:00:49.000 Here we go.

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00:01:09.000 All right, welcome back to the Charlie Kirk Show.

00:01:13.000 Over the weekend, of course, there was a terrible attack in Bondi Beach where it looks like 15 were killed, including a 10-year-old girl.

00:01:25.000 It was a targeted attack by jihadists targeting Jews in Bondi Beach.

00:01:33.000 And we wanted to bring in Yael Eckstein because she's the president and global CEO of IFCJ, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, to just explain what this terrible attack has meant to our Jewish friends and worldwide and what's being done about it.

00:01:50.000 So Yael, welcome back to the Charlie Kirk Show.

00:01:52.000 Thank you so much, Andrew.

00:01:54.000 Yeah.

00:01:55.000 So just give us your first impressions when you heard this.

00:01:58.000 I mean, obviously, after October 7th, everybody's on height and alert anywhere in the world, actually, Jewish communities all over the world.

00:02:06.000 When you see this stuff play out, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

00:02:09.000 Well, the first thing that comes to mind is Charlie Kirk and all the terror attacks that we've seen based on hatred that are directed not only towards Jews, but towards Christians as well.

00:02:21.000 And what it makes me realize is that this evil and hatred, it's not something from the history books of the past, but it's something that we're dealing with today.

00:02:31.000 So as I light my Hanukkah menorah on this holiday and I was just in New York City and I saw the Christmas trees all out in the public squares, it makes me recognize that we need to stand together, those of us who sanctify life against this hatred against Jews and Christians around the world in order to bring more light into the world.

00:02:51.000 Because as we see from Christmas and from Hanukkah, the answer to darkness is light, that we have to get together and do more good deeds, bring more love to one another.

00:03:02.000 And I've seen after October 7th how the fellowship has provided over 6 million meals to people who are hungry.

00:03:09.000 We've placed thousands of bomb shelters.

00:03:11.000 We've gone into Syria to help the persecuted Christians with setting up a medical clinic and distributing food boxes.

00:03:19.000 That Andrew, when I see this darkness, it just inspires me to bring more light.

00:03:24.000 That's amazing.

00:03:25.000 Yeah.

00:03:25.000 And that's, I mean, I know that's what you guys, you guys in some ways have, I mean, these are clarifying moments for the fellowship because you're able to say, what can we do to help?

00:03:34.000 What can we do to bring care, whether that's physical needs or emotional, spiritual.

00:03:40.000 Have you been in touch, Yael, with anybody on the ground in Australia?

00:03:43.000 Have you heard from this community directly?

00:03:47.000 I'm just curious.

00:03:48.000 Yeah, so the fellowship helps provide security for Jewish institutions that are at risk around the world, including in Australia.

00:03:56.000 And what we see here is what I think is a heroic response to darkness and terror.

00:04:02.000 And again, it's very similar to what happened after the assassination of Charlie.

00:04:08.000 We saw people coming out not with anger, not burning tires, not pulling down flags, but coming out with love, coming out with respect for one another, singing together, recognizing the only answer to hatred is to stand together in love.

00:04:22.000 And that's what we're seeing in Australia.

00:04:24.000 They went out, the Jewish community today, and there were so many Christians who stood with them back to Bandi Beach to light the menorah.

00:04:32.000 They all went to their houses of worship without being scared, without cowarding, and they said, we are going to spread the light of God into this world.

00:04:41.000 No terrorist is going to stop us.

00:04:43.000 And that's the message that I think is more relevant now than ever as we see Christians being persecuted, as we see Jews being targeted, as we see churches being blown up and from America to Syria to across Africa and Jews no longer being safe.

00:05:00.000 The message I hear from God is now is the time to stand together.

00:05:07.000 How good and how pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in peace is the only way that we are going to get through these very dark days.

00:05:15.000 Yeah, that's well said, Yael.

00:05:16.000 And, you know, it's interesting.

00:05:17.000 I'm just looking at some reporting here, and it's like the Australian government and the ASIO, which is the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, they were aware of heightened threats to the Jewish community.

00:05:29.000 They raised the national terrorism threat level to probable in August of 2024.

00:05:34.000 Anti-Semitic attacks surged in Australia post-October 2023.

00:05:39.000 Over 2,000 incidents in 2024, 1,600 in 2025, and including arson on synagogues and graffiti.

00:05:48.000 And Jewish leaders had been pleading with local government officials and warning them of insufficient action.

00:05:55.000 Are you concerned about that, that the message is still not getting through to protect some of these synagogues, these Jewish communities, wherever they may be in the larger diaspora?

00:06:06.000 You know, Andrew, if there's one thing that I've seen since October 7th with these attacks on the Jewish community and the attacks on the Christian community, like I said, around the world, it's that we can't rely on the governments to protect us.

00:06:19.000 The governments have allowed from Australia to what we saw post-October 7th in America, what we're seeing today in Europe, the jihadists are speaking out with hatred and calling for a global antifada.

00:06:34.000 This is what a global antifada looks like, and they're not being stopped.

00:06:37.000 If there's one thing that I've realized, it's that we have to hold the governments accountable.

00:06:42.000 We have to call the governments out to do whatever they can to protect Jews and Christians and religious institutions across America, across Australia, across Europe, everywhere in the free world.

00:06:53.000 But we also can't use that as a scapegoat.

00:06:56.000 We can't sit behind our screens in self-righteous anger calling for the governments to do more.

00:07:02.000 We have to do more.

00:07:03.000 We have to do whatever we can.

00:07:04.000 We have to go out and stand together.

00:07:07.000 And like I said, through the fellowship, I see what's possible when the grassroots gets together.

00:07:13.000 Since October 7th, we've had flights of Aliyah rescuing Jews from all four corners of the earth where they're facing persecution and bringing them home to Israel.

00:07:22.000 We've seen Holocaust survivors who are getting food boxes in the middle of wars and rockets attacks.

00:07:29.000 We're going into Syria where it's dangerous for us in order to provide for the persecuted Christians there. 1.00

00:07:34.000 And we're only able to do this because there are millions of Jews and Christians around the world who aren't only speaking out in anger against the governments, but also taking whatever action they can in order to bring comfort and love and light to one another.

00:07:50.000 the answer to darkness, especially during this holiday season, is to bring more light.

00:07:56.000 Yeah, well said.

00:07:57.000 And, you know, it's just, it's tragic that this happened at Hanukkah, the first day, I believe, of the celebration in Bondi Beach.

00:08:07.000 Give us a lay of the land.

00:08:09.000 And thank you for always being so uplifting, by the way.

00:08:12.000 There was like a lot of, you know, dark news over the weekend, Yael.

00:08:15.000 So you're always so, you're always so you bring such a positive energy to this.

00:08:20.000 And I know that's rooted in your faith.

00:08:24.000 I want to just take our eyes back to Israel just briefly.

00:08:28.000 Since the peace had been established, what is the vibe on the ground there?

00:08:32.000 How are people feeling?

00:08:33.000 Is it optimistic?

00:08:35.000 Is it contentious?

00:08:36.000 Just want to temperature check.

00:08:38.000 Well, there's an amazing resilience that you see in Israel.

00:08:42.000 When I remember I was in Tel Aviv at a dinner meeting and the sirens went off and there were rockets from Yemen that were being launched directly where I was.

00:08:50.000 And everyone in the restaurant immediately got up and went down to the bomb shelter together.

00:08:55.000 And within 10 minutes, we were back in the restaurant after the rocket was intercepted.

00:08:59.000 And it was as if nothing happened.

00:09:01.000 That in Israel, we have this incredible ability to find joy and faith within the hardships.

00:09:07.000 Even in the year after October 7th, Israel was voted the seventh happiest country in the world.

00:09:12.000 No kidding.

00:09:13.000 And so we are, yeah, we're both optimistically happy and excited for the opportunity for peace and hoping for more agreements like the Abraham Agreements that will bring a new reality to all the people of the Middle East.

00:09:27.000 And we're also very cautious that we know we're dealing with lots of terror groups from Syria to Egypt to Iran to Gaza that haven't been eliminated.

00:09:38.000 Their people haven't been freed yet.

00:09:41.000 And so we're hopeful that Israel will have peace, that the people, the Muslims who are being held hostage by their own governments and terror groups will be freed and enjoy freedom and equality like we do here in Israel.

00:09:54.000 And we're just standing strong in prayer that God promises good days will be ahead.

00:10:00.000 We know his promises for Israel.

00:10:02.000 He says Israel is forever.

00:10:03.000 Israel, ultimately, together with the free world, good always wins over bad.

00:10:10.000 And I just pray that the end of darkness is here already.

00:10:14.000 Well, we appreciate, I actually didn't know that you guys provide security for the synagogues and Jewish communities across the world.

00:10:21.000 That's a really powerful thing that you're contributing to.

00:10:24.000 Ifcj.org, Yael, so good to see you.

00:10:28.000 And thank you for speaking Light into the darkness today.

00:10:31.000 We could use more of that.

00:10:32.000 Thank you for everything you do.

00:10:34.000 Keep up the good work.

00:10:35.000 Thank you, Yael.

00:10:36.000 Talk to you soon.

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00:11:41.000 All right.

00:11:42.000 So big, huge story, still kind of going on.

00:11:45.000 Nick Reiner, Rob Reiner's son, has now appeared in court this morning.

00:11:50.000 He is, it looks like he's probably the guy who killed his two parents, which is like a terrible, terrible aspect of this case.

00:12:01.000 And 32-year-old Nick Reiner, he had been in rehab at least 17 times for addiction and mental health struggles.

00:12:12.000 So there was a big Christmas party at Conan O'Brien's in the Pacific Palisades on Saturday night where guests were decked out in suits and fancy dresses, but one stood out.

00:12:22.000 I'm reading from the rap.

00:12:23.000 Their 32-year-old son, Nick, showed up at the very formal party in a hoodie.

00:12:32.000 So he was freaking everyone out, acting crazy.

00:12:35.000 A source told People Magazine, kept asking people if they were famous.

00:12:40.000 So apparently there's just been this whole backstory about Rob's approach to parenting with Nick.

00:12:50.000 I mean, you know a few details about this.

00:12:52.000 Well, he just, it seems, we don't know all the details.

00:12:55.000 I'm sure we'll get more, but it seems he did have a relatively permissive attitude, which is some people will say if an addict in your life is destructive enough, you really need to cut them off or they'll destroy your whole family.

00:13:10.000 And usually it's not this literal.

00:13:12.000 But he said, he had lines like, you know, I'd rather have you hate me as long as you're alive.

00:13:19.000 He said kind of tough love is not really his way through life.

00:13:23.000 So you could definitely have the argument.

00:13:25.000 He may have enabled him too much, coddled him too much.

00:13:30.000 We'll get more details on it, of course.

00:13:32.000 Yeah.

00:13:32.000 And it seems what they did is they argued at this party.

00:13:35.000 Yeah, and he may have followed them home.

00:13:38.000 Exactly.

00:13:39.000 So this is, so it's weird because it's been reported.

00:13:44.000 I haven't seen it confirmed that maybe the Reiners were about to meet with the Obamas.

00:13:47.000 So that's a weird twist in this story.

00:13:51.000 Yeah, I'm not suggesting that anything to do with it.

00:13:53.000 I'm just that it's weird the triangulation of all these famous people.

00:13:57.000 It's Conan O'Brien's Christmas party.

00:13:59.000 And then this is what's interesting.

00:14:01.000 So you get this brooding, incoherent Nick Reiner who's wandering around this party in a hoodie.

00:14:08.000 And he basically only spoke at length with two people that night, Rob and his mom, the producer and photographer.

00:14:14.000 And what ensued, according to people there, was a very loud argument, and certainly not the first that they had ever had.

00:14:22.000 And what was said, no one has yet disclosed, though it was loud enough that several guests heard it, multiple outlets, reporting side and anonymous partygoers, reps for Conan O'Brien, and the Reiners did not immediately return requests for comment.

00:14:35.000 And it wouldn't have mattered much except for the news the following day.

00:14:38.000 That was when the Reiners' youngest daughter, 28-year-old Romy, discovered her parents' lifeless body at the Brentwood home and victims of a knife attack.

00:14:48.000 Very, very tragic.

00:14:50.000 And she immediately suspected her older brother, corroborated Monday with police, said that he was responsible for their deaths.

00:14:57.000 So really, really tragic story here.

00:15:01.000 And I thought it was interesting.

00:15:02.000 Yeah, go ahead.

00:15:03.000 Well, let's circle it back to what we were talking about in the first hour.

00:15:06.000 We talked about marijuana.

00:15:08.000 Now, clearly, Nick Reiner was on a much larger array of substances that were more damaging.

00:15:15.000 But this gets back to what Charlie would talk about so much: that as no, you know, the Bible says no one can serve two masters.

00:15:24.000 And so do you want to have self-mastery?

00:15:26.000 Do you want to be guided by your own moral intuitions?

00:15:30.000 Or do you want to be enslaved by something else?

00:15:33.000 And what people who have been around addiction or been addicts themselves can tell you is it can start small, but it can grow and grow and grow until it has taken over your life.

00:15:44.000 And people who are severely addicted to drugs, what will eventually happen is they will do anything and they will hurt anyone because they want more drugs.

00:15:57.000 They want to just continue that lifestyle.

00:16:00.000 And that's one of the biggest reasons to just not really let them in the door.

00:16:04.000 Yeah.

00:16:04.000 Because the long-term incomes are not good.

00:16:06.000 Yeah.

00:16:06.000 And there's the idea that it is, you know, I don't want to make this overly spiritual, but you do open yourself up to, I believe, dark spiritual forces when you start releasing control of your mental faculties, of your spiritual faculties.

00:16:21.000 You know, it is a highway to hell in many respects.

00:16:25.000 And yeah, you might look at it and say, oh, it's just, it's just a little pot.

00:16:28.000 It's just a little like, we're just, you know, whatever.

00:16:30.000 No, sometimes for some people.

00:16:33.000 Now, you might be one of those people out there that doesn't have that problem.

00:16:36.000 Not everybody reacts the same way, but there's going to be a percentage of the population that does.

00:16:41.000 And you're going to have more and more of these people the more you use it, where that can become an opening for really, really dark things.

00:16:49.000 Romy basically said, as soon as this happened, she said, you know, Nick had been recently living in their parents' guest house and was dangerous and should be considered a suspect.

00:17:00.000 My heart goes out to the family, the sister especially, had to find her parents dead and had to basically tell police that my brother did it, probably.

00:17:09.000 I mean, think about that.

00:17:10.000 Poor thing.

00:17:12.000 A really tragic, tragic story.

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00:18:17.000 All right, Kurt Schlichter, senior columnist at Town Hall.

00:18:22.000 He's also got a new book, another one of his Kelly Turnbull novels.

00:18:26.000 This is Panama Red.

00:18:27.000 Congratulations, Kurt.

00:18:29.000 I don't know how you turn these things out so quickly, my friend, but this came out last Tuesday.

00:18:33.000 So congratulations again on the book.

00:18:36.000 Tell us about it.

00:18:37.000 Well, thanks.

00:18:38.000 It helps that I am no longer a full-time lawyer.

00:18:41.000 So I'm excited about that for many reasons, including putting out the ninth of the Kelly Turnbull series.

00:18:47.000 Now, I started the People's Republic series about 10 years ago because of Andrew Breitbart, really.

00:18:53.000 Because he said we have to go make our own culture. 0.96

00:18:55.000 So I decided, well, I'm sick of all these woke, garbage, boring books. 0.98

00:19:01.000 They talk about feelings. 0.99

00:19:04.000 You know, there's a sassy, non-binary character. 0.99

00:19:07.000 No, we're not doing any of that.

00:19:09.000 We're going to get some action.

00:19:11.000 We're going to get some snark.

00:19:12.000 We're going to get some guns.

00:19:14.000 We're going to get some fun.

00:19:15.000 We're going to get some cool, conservative action novels.

00:19:18.000 And I wrote People's Republic.

00:19:20.000 And Andrew, these have all been bestsellers.

00:19:22.000 Panama Red, I believe it's still Amazon's number one political thriller right now.

00:19:28.000 It is selling like hotcakes and people ought to go out and get Panama Red because it's a lot of fun.

00:19:33.000 Oh, that's awesome.

00:19:34.000 Congratulations, honestly.

00:19:35.000 I think, you know, people think of you as a political commentator, at least probably our audience, because they're used to you doing, which you are.

00:19:42.000 You're a great columnist over at Town Hall.

00:19:45.000 And, you know, there's a lot there, by the way.

00:19:48.000 You have your multiple columns, actually.

00:19:51.000 But one of the topics you're talking about right now, it's kind of near and dear because one of the things I've noticed is that after what happened with Charlie, you know, Erica has been asked multiple times about 2A stuff, right?

00:20:04.000 What do you think about gun laws?

00:20:07.000 What do you think about access to guns?

00:20:09.000 What do you think about the Second Amendment?

00:20:11.000 And I think it's a really unfair question to put a widow in, first of all, that's now head of a conservative organization.

00:20:16.000 But listen, she's answered them well.

00:20:17.000 She's, you know, Charlie was pro-2A, we're pro-2A.

00:20:21.000 But then it comes up again because of what's happened in Australia, right?

00:20:24.000 Because in Australia, we've got, you know, a very restrictive gun culture, and yet this jihadist was able to get access to six legal firearms and kill a bunch of Jews.

00:20:35.000 So you say, you know, this week's gun tragedy shows you why you must buy even more guns.

00:20:43.000 Tell us about this.

00:20:45.000 Why are you being even more adamant, Kurt?

00:20:47.000 Look, the basis of all rights are armed citizens who can protect themselves.

00:20:52.000 Yes, our creator endowed us with the rights.

00:20:55.000 It's up to us to defend them.

00:20:57.000 They're not self-executing, and there are plenty of people who want to take them away, including our right to speak freely, our right to write what we think, our right to worship as we see fit, our right to keep and bear arms secures all that.

00:21:11.000 You are not a citizen if you do not participate in being able to protect yourself, your family, your community, and your Constitution.

00:21:21.000 Yes, bad people will use guns.

00:21:23.000 We've all seen that.

00:21:24.000 We've seen terrible violence out there.

00:21:26.000 But, you know, after 30 years as a lawyer, I kind of assess arguments and I think to myself, is it a great argument that there are bad people out there who want to hurt us because of who we are and what we believe, that we should disarm harder?

00:21:46.000 Not a great argument.

00:21:48.000 I'll take my own personal defense in my own hands.

00:21:52.000 It doesn't make me invulnerable, but it gives me a fighting chance.

00:21:57.000 Well, and you notice the delayed response in the Australia incident.

00:22:00.000 I mean, it was, you know, you had that hero, I forget his name, but it was Ahmed Al Ahmed or whatever, who goes in, grabs the gun, and then kind of subdues one of the, yeah, I mean, a total hero.

00:22:10.000 He ends up taking a couple bullets for that from the sun that was up on the walkway.

00:22:15.000 But there was a totally delayed response.

00:22:17.000 And, you know, if there would have been armed guards at the synagogue, maybe they could have stopped some of the killing.

00:22:23.000 Lives would have been saved.

00:22:24.000 You've got to start playing those scenarios back in your head, too.

00:22:27.000 Look, the fact that you're armed and the fact that you have armed guards does not make you safe.

00:22:33.000 It makes you safer.

00:22:37.000 The police are not there as our personal bodyguards.

00:22:42.000 Okay, the police are there to respond to violence.

00:22:44.000 And when you get something that's so outside the main, like a mass murder, it's not shocking that it'll take the police time to coordinate a response.

00:22:56.000 It's not necessarily a hit on them. 0.98

00:22:58.000 Now, there are some cowardly cops. 1.00

00:23:00.000 The ones in Uvalde need to hang their heads in shame forever. 0.99

00:23:05.000 But most of the time, police will fire and maneuver when they get there.

00:23:10.000 But why can't we be there?

00:23:13.000 What's wrong with armed citizens?

00:23:15.000 You know, if I'm living at my house in Texas, I'm carrying all the time legally.

00:23:20.000 California, they don't trust a guy who commanded thousands of people with automatic weapons on the streets.

00:23:26.000 But in Texas, they seem to think I'm okay.

00:23:28.000 So I carry a weapon.

00:23:30.000 I may be outgunned.

00:23:31.000 I may be outnumbered.

00:23:32.000 But you know, Andrew, If I'm engaging bad guys, you know, a retired officer, army officer, they're shooting me and they're not shooting women.

00:23:47.000 They're not shooting children.

00:23:48.000 They're not shooting other citizens.

00:23:50.000 That's true.

00:23:50.000 That's a good point, Kurt.

00:23:52.000 Let's hear from Erica.

00:23:53.000 This was at Deal Book, New York Times Deal Book last week, 110.

00:23:58.000 We're living in a day and age where they think violence is the solution to them not wanting to hear a different point of view.

00:24:11.000 That's not a gun problem.

00:24:13.000 That's a human, deeply human problem.

00:24:18.000 Yeah, I thought she, I mean, it's just such a, I get upset because I'm protective of Erica, you know, and it's just a very, you know, given what happened to Charlie, it's a pretty, it's a pretty, you know, I would say tough question to be asking a widow, but whatever.

00:24:33.000 She did a great job, and she's absolutely right.

00:24:36.000 It's not a gun problem.

00:24:37.000 That's a human problem.

00:24:38.000 What about that devil's advocate question for you, Kurt?

00:24:41.000 If, so, you know, you got all these pot smokers now about to legalize that. 0.97

00:24:46.000 We got all the, we got a bunch of mental illness.

00:24:48.000 You know, has our society fallen so far that we can't be trusted with guns anymore?

00:24:53.000 Well, look, there are some people who can't be trusted with guns, obviously. 0.62

00:24:58.000 Criminals, mentally ill people, drug addicts. 0.79

00:25:01.000 We've seen the horrible, you know, in just the last days, we've seen what mental illness and drug addiction can do.

00:25:07.000 But again, the potential for bad people out there to do bad things does not compel me to make myself defenseless.

00:25:16.000 Yeah, fair enough.

00:25:17.000 The answer to crime is to deal with criminals.

00:25:20.000 Well, and the part about this part of this story, like, I don't know if you have a take on this, but like the son, I think he's 24 years old in this instance.

00:25:29.000 He had been investigated by being linked to an ISIS cell.

00:25:33.000 Well, he was investigated for links.

00:25:35.000 I think they didn't.

00:25:36.000 Nothing.

00:25:36.000 They found jihadist ISIS flags in the car.

00:25:39.000 I mean, this guy was completely motivated by jihadist ideology.

00:25:45.000 So, I mean, I'm just a good boy.

00:25:46.000 That's what the mom said.

00:25:47.000 He's just a good boy, Kurt.

00:25:49.000 There are bad people out there who want to murder or enslave us.

00:25:52.000 Well, I don't want to be murdered and I won't be a slave.

00:25:56.000 The answer is not a monopoly on violence by an unaccountable government, but a monopoly on violence by the people, by the citizens.

00:26:07.000 If those guys were sitting there walking around confident and cool and collected until the police showed up and engaged them, if there was an American citizen, if that was in Texas, where a lot of people carry weapons, those guys would not have been able to do that.

00:26:26.000 They would have had to deal with the tactical problem of people firing weapons at them.

00:26:31.000 Yep.

00:26:32.000 I remember that.

00:26:32.000 Maybe a SIGP32365, maybe a 45, maybe a long weapon.

00:26:39.000 It doesn't matter.

00:26:41.000 The tactical problem for a mass killer is somebody shooting at him.

00:26:46.000 He's got to engage that.

00:26:47.000 When he's doing that, everybody else has a chance to take cover and protect themselves.

00:26:53.000 You know, that's what we need.

00:26:55.000 I'm just reminded, Kurt, of that.

00:26:57.000 Remember that hero?

00:26:58.000 His name was Jack Wilson.

00:27:00.000 Do you remember this story?

00:27:01.000 I do.

00:27:02.000 Yeah, Jack.

00:27:02.000 So Jack Wilson, I just pulled up an image of him.

00:27:06.000 But this was in, looks like, let's see here.

00:27:10.000 It was in 2019.

00:27:12.000 He was a firearms instructor and former reserve sheriff's deputy who fatally shot a gunman during a service at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas.

00:27:22.000 And that was on, yeah, December 29th, 2019.

00:27:25.000 He took a single shot and ended the attack, which saved an estimated, well, they say 250 people in the congregation, but who knows how many would have ultimately been killed.

00:27:34.000 But I mean, that is the sort of that could have been this situation.

00:27:38.000 But Australia has pursued a disarmament campaign.

00:27:43.000 Let's hear from Charlie, Kirk.

00:27:46.000 This is the Charlie Kirk show after all.

00:27:48.000 He talks about this.

00:27:49.000 118.

00:27:50.000 Maybe it's much more of a brokenness of humanity problem or a sin problem, not the actual tool itself.

00:27:57.000 But honestly, I think we should have less gun laws, not more. 0.63

00:27:59.000 I know people disagree with this.

00:28:02.000 It's a right.

00:28:03.000 People should be able to protect themselves as they see fit.

00:28:06.000 In states that generally have more guns, not less guns, like Houston.

00:28:10.000 Yes, you do have some more gun deaths amongst inner city gangs, but violent crime tends to go down.

00:28:17.000 And so I don't want to disarm peaceful, law-abiding people just because some people abuse that tool or that technology.

00:28:25.000 And so when you look at gun deaths in this country, there are 30,000 gun deaths a year.

00:28:29.000 Two-thirds of them are death by suicide.

00:28:31.000 Okay, so that number shouldn't even been in there.

00:28:34.000 The vast majority of the gun deaths that are related that are the ones in the remainder are individuals in gangs and inner cities that use guns in kind of gang violence.

00:28:46.000 So there's lots of categories there.

00:28:48.000 Look, I started shooting when I was six.

00:28:52.000 My dad was a country guy.

00:28:54.000 Even though I'm a BMW driving LA lawyer, I still have that blood in me.

00:28:58.000 I've had guns around me all my life.

00:28:59.000 I've carried weapons as an Army officer overseas and here.

00:29:04.000 I've never shot anybody.

00:29:06.000 I've never hurt anybody.

00:29:08.000 And there's zero chance I'm going to unless I have a good reason to.

00:29:12.000 Tens of millions of other Americans are just like me.

00:29:16.000 Law-abiding, peaceful, but ready to defend ourselves, our families, our communities, and our constitutions.

00:29:22.000 We're not giving up our guns.

00:29:24.000 It's not a discussion.

00:29:25.000 That's how it's going to be.

00:29:26.000 That's right.

00:29:27.000 That's good Americana there, Kurt.

00:29:32.000 Good conversation is about showing respect.

00:29:35.000 It's how we create a space where people are able to share their ideas and to be heard.

00:29:39.000 Charlie knew that.

00:29:41.000 TikTok has always strived to build that kind of place that thrives on respectful connection, where curiosity fuels connection and we can share what's on our minds and learn from each other.

00:29:51.000 When ideas meet respect, good things happen.

00:29:54.000 On TikTok, you can find a mechanic explaining the why behind a problem most of us wouldn't even know how to name, or a father sharing a lifetime of knowledge with his viewers.

00:30:04.000 Viewers who listen, discuss, and respond.

00:30:06.000 TikTok turns connection into community through small acts of understanding.

00:30:10.000 You can feel it in the comments in the thank you from a stranger halfway across the world.

00:30:15.000 TikTok is a place where respect opens the door for discussion, and discussion helps us build something real.

00:30:21.000 Portions of our program are sponsored in part by TikTok.

00:30:26.000 All right, go ahead and throw up this Vanity Fair picture. 1.00

00:30:29.000 You get one minute to react to the Susie Wiles interview and this picture.

00:30:34.000 Go.

00:30:34.000 Why are you talking to Vanity Fair?

00:30:38.000 Let me say it again because I can't believe I have to say it.

00:30:42.000 Why are you talking to Vanity Fair?

00:30:46.000 I mean, was Brian Tater Stelder busy?

00:30:52.000 I mean, why are you talking to Vanity Fair?

00:30:57.000 Look at the picture again.

00:30:58.000 That is really well shot.

00:31:02.000 It's a beautiful shot.

00:31:04.000 That hits hard.

00:31:05.000 People who need to answer the question, why are you talking to Vanity Fair?

00:31:10.000 I don't understand it.

00:31:12.000 And then you're like, shocked.

00:31:15.000 Oh, well, they lied about what I said.

00:31:18.000 They misconcepted.

00:31:19.000 They took me out of context.

00:31:21.000 Yeah.

00:31:22.000 Well, apparently this reporter is known for doing books and interviews with chiefs of staff.

00:31:33.000 And I'm getting my studio is laughing at you.

00:31:36.000 But we're going to switch topics here to Mark Wayne Mullen kind of made some waves yesterday by saying he's kind of in favor of nuking the filibuster.

00:31:45.000 I have questions, though.

00:31:46.000 I want to talk about the pros and the cons.

00:31:48.000 181.

00:31:49.000 There was a conversation that's taking place that's saying, well, maybe we don't do all the filibusters, but we just do it when it comes to appropriations.

00:31:56.000 Well, that's where the policy is made through appropriations anyways.

00:32:00.000 I think that's a sound policy for us to have a serious conversation about because we only have three years here.

00:32:05.000 Let's go all in.

00:32:06.000 And I'm in that favor where you're at right now is let's go all in.

00:32:09.000 Let's get this thing done because we're not going to get immigration policy done with bipartisan support.

00:32:15.000 My position on the filibuster has changed.

00:32:18.000 Yeah.

00:32:19.000 So that actually, I'll be honest, Blake, that was music to my ears.

00:32:23.000 I was like, if we're not going to get immigration policy, and I kind of thought about it.

00:32:26.000 It's true.

00:32:27.000 You only do this if you're going to do a big thing.

00:32:30.000 But do we have the votes even if we nuked the filibuster?

00:32:35.000 Probably not.

00:32:36.000 Remember, there are a lot of people who don't want the revolution or counter-revolution that Donald Trump and the populists are trying to have.

00:32:46.000 There are so many Indiana Republicans spread all through America.

00:32:52.000 I love how you turn that into a pejorative part.

00:32:55.000 I mean, it's so good.

00:32:56.000 The Indiana Republicans.

00:32:58.000 Don't be an Indiana Republican.

00:32:58.000 You've got to do that, though.

00:32:59.000 That'll motivate them.

00:33:01.000 Motivate them to tune out.

00:33:02.000 Get those.

00:33:03.000 That'll motivate them more than the R-word.

00:33:04.000 They're going to send us the biggest winger in Senate history next time. 1.00

00:33:08.000 We are all in, by the way, Kurt on Indiana.

00:33:10.000 We are going to practice.

00:33:11.000 I went to Indiana and talked to them.

00:33:13.000 They're hardcore, and I'm from California.

00:33:16.000 So I know what hardcore looks like because that's all that's left of us as Republicans.

00:33:21.000 Look, look, I would love to maintain the filibuster if we could.

00:33:25.000 I think it is a useful product.

00:33:27.000 But as I wrote in my town hall column a while ago, and I write Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and everybody should go read them.

00:33:34.000 The Democrats are definitely given the chance going to end the filibuster for everything and do whatever they want.

00:33:42.000 Okay.

00:33:43.000 I would love the opportunity to do whatever we want because we only have three years to prove ourselves.

00:33:49.000 And our policies will work as we saw when Ronald Reagan was elected.

00:33:53.000 That's a little before your time.

00:33:55.000 And when Donald Trump was elected the first time, that's probably before your time too.

00:34:02.000 Our policies do work.

00:34:03.000 It would be good for us to get them in.

00:34:06.000 And then again, there are benefits to having the filibuster.

00:34:09.000 Maybe make a deal.

00:34:11.000 Okay.

00:34:12.000 We're either going to make the filibuster permanent by a constitutional amendment, or we're going to change it and then use it to our advantage because you guys are going to do it to us.

00:34:25.000 And we know you're going to do it to us because you've told us you're going to do it to us.

00:34:30.000 I would love to see things like immigration, national concealed carry.

00:34:36.000 Oh my gosh.

00:34:37.000 It's so, there's so many things we'd love to be able to do.

00:34:41.000 Should we do them?

00:34:42.000 Good question.

00:34:43.000 Yeah.

00:34:44.000 You should do it if you have the votes to pass things that really matter.

00:34:48.000 And your next funding threshold is not a thing that really matters existentially for this country 50 years in the future.

00:34:56.000 Immigration, voter ID, there's a few that are truly, truly important.

00:35:02.000 If we could take the Puerto Rico, the DC, maybe even Guam statehood off the table, I think the country would be much better off.

00:35:10.000 So I don't, maybe it is a deal, Kurt.

00:35:13.000 I hadn't thought about making a deal because I'm just assuming they'll break the contract as soon as they get power.

00:35:18.000 So we'll see what they got put in the Constitution.

00:35:22.000 Panama Red, Kurt's new book.

00:35:24.000 Please check it out.

00:35:25.000 Kurt Schlichter, always a pleasure to have you, senior columnists at Town Hall.

00:35:30.000 What days do you do your columns again?

00:35:33.000 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

00:35:35.000 That's right.

00:35:35.000 And they really make the Libs and the Fredo conservatives mad.

00:35:43.000 Kirch Schlichter.

00:35:44.000 All right, guys, we'll see you all tomorrow.

00:35:46.000 Until then.

The Charlie Kirk Show - December 17, 2025

What Australia's Bondi Beach Shooting Reveals

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