On September 10, thousands gathered on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem for a Turning Point USA event featuring Charlie Kirk. The conservative activist sat under a tent in an outdoor amphitheater when a single shot, fired from the roof of a nearby campus building, struck and killed him.

The shooter was able to access a vantage point overlooking 3,000 attendees. Witnesses said they were not screened, their bags were not checked, and there were no magnetometers. Even one attendee admitted he threw away a small item on his keychain, expecting airport-style security — but none was there. Despite Kirk’s profile, despite the size of the crowd, and despite obvious risks, there was no rooftop security and no serious screening of the venue.

This was preventable. Students, faculty, and visitors have a right to expect basic protections when they attend campus events. UVU had six uniformed officers and an unspecified number of plainclothes officers on site — but that was clearly not enough. Open-air events pose real dangers, as the Trump rally attack in Pennsylvania last year showed. And yet lessons were not learned.

We grieve Charlie Kirk’s death. We mourn for his family, for the Turning Point community, and for everyone in the crowd who will carry trauma from that day. But grief is not enough. This tragedy must lead to action.

We demand that Utah Valley University President Astrid Tuminez, the UVU Board of Trustees, the Utah Department of Public Safety, and Utah Governor Spencer Cox immediately overhaul campus event security. That means mandatory bag checks, magnetometers, rooftop sweeps, and coordinated planning with state and federal agencies whenever large, high-profile gatherings occur.

Universities should be places of learning and debate — not places where speakers, students, or visitors risk being gunned down. Without changes, this tragedy will not be the last.

Photo Credit: Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via Reuters