Utah Rep. Burgess Owens led a moment of silence on the floor of the U.S. House to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed on the campus of Utah Valley University nearly one year ago.
Owens gave brief remarks honoring Kirk and his legacy just one week before the anniversary of his death. Kirk was shot and killed while engaging with thousands of students during the first stop of his “All-American Comeback Tour” last September.
“Charlie and his family believed in the promise of America,” Owens said. “Charlie believed that we could become a more perfect union through conversations and spirited debates. He believed that you beat bad ideas with better ideas, not by shouting them down or resorting to violence. And he was doing that the day he was killed.”
Owens’ speech comes as Turning Point USA, the conservative organization that Kirk founded in 2012, is set to hold a memorial at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, exactly one year after he was killed. The “Freedom Built to Last” memorial will take place at the UCCU Center, roughly a five-minute walk from the amphitheater where Kirk was killed.
Speakers will include Glenn Beck, one of the nation’s top-rated talk-show hosts and founder of Blaze Media; Frank Turek, a prominent Christian apologist and mentor to Kirk; and Andrew Sypher, Turning Point USA’s chief field officer.
Turek was standing just feet from Kirk when he was shot, as was Caleb Chilcutt, TPUSA’s UVU chapter chair at the time. Chilcutt, who is now working as TPUSA’s Beehive representative, is also scheduled to speak on Sept. 10.
The week of remembrance will coincide with a nationwide initiative led by TPUSA Faith, inviting Christians of all traditions to honor Kirk by inviting a friend or a family member to church in September, beginning on Sept. 13.
The first anniversary also comes as court proceedings for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Kirk, continue. Robinson pleaded not guilty to the charges against him this week as he faces up to six counts, including one count of aggravated murder, one count of felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering and two counts of obstruction of justice, and a Class A misdemeanor of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
The prosecution is seeking the death penalty. Robinson will stand trial, a judge ruled on Tuesday.
Erika Kirk, Charlie’s wife, has been present for much of the proceedings at the 4th District Court in Provo. It’s not yet clear if she will attend the UVU memorial.