Have you folks seen the change in narrative on the engravings today?

[herding cats]

I've been reading the NYT, who full throat shared the WSJ's reporting about the pro trans and antifa etchings on the shells initially.

Today they're printing a different narrative.

Officials said they found, left with the gun, unfired ammunition that had been engraved with jokes and slang from internet memes as well as the words, “hey fascist! CATCH!”

From this same article I noticed a change in how he was supposed to have spoken out about Kirk. coming to the university at a family dinner. The first readings made it sound as if he were a lone wolf in the family who had went leftist.

This is today's wording:

Mr. Robinson had recently spoken with a family member about the fact that Mr. Kirk was going to hold an event in Utah, according to a police affidavit, and he and his relative discussed “why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints he had."

It makes it more apparent he and the family he was speaking to shared an opinion of Kirk and he wasn't some rogue black sheep.

Also of interest is this:

Mr. Brooksby said that Mr. Robinson was generally considered a quiet pupil when they were growing up in the conservative St. George area, but one day in high school, the topic of the 2012 attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya, came up during lunch. Few there knew exactly what had happened, but Mr. Robinson was sure of himself.

This was when he was in HS and one has to be pretty entrenched in politics to have an opinion on that event to my mind. So, maybe he didn't just become so political?

We're witnessing the beginning of the change from radical leftist to blaming it on the internet and gaming culture is my best guess.

Here's a gift link for those who'd like to read the article

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/us/politics/tyler-robinson-charlie-kirk.html?unlocked_article_code=1.lk8.-Nvd.Ob6C1xKyuMzt&smid=url-share

[markodochartaigh]

1. "...become so political."

Also, note the narrative of becoming political. The narrative is not "becoming an adherent of the branch of the political party which commits almost all of the political violence in the US, i.e. maga", the narrative is simply "becoming political". This narrative makes it seems that anyone who cares enough to educate themselves on the issues and participate politically might become dangerous. Much better to remain ignorant and apathetic. Just eat your hamberders and enjoy your sportsball and keep your mouth shut.

[herding cats]

2. This is an excellent point.

If his argument on Benghazi was the false RW talking points, then he was radicalized not merely political. I should have said politically radicalized.

[markodochartaigh]

3. "I should have said politically radicalized."

It's not just you though. You were using the framing used by every single commentator that I have heard. It's not exactly both siderism, it's slightly watered down, but it is 100% the common and accepted narrative.

[BattleRow]

10. My first thought when the phrase "radicalized" was used was "not see".

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. Vanity Fair had a pretty good deep dive today

And emptywheel did a quicker TLDR version

https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/09/12/gamer-culture-and-guns/

[herding cats]

5. Thanks! I'd missed that one.

If you're interested here's another article about the meme culture involved by VF as well!

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/charlie-kirk-tyler-robinson-memes-meaning

It's obvious the WSJ's original take, which I'm sure mirrored some official who was clueless to meme culture, was flat out false propaganda.

It's been interesting to learn the meanings behind these memes, which I freely admitted to not understanding from the start.

[ForgedCrank]

6. They are also

now claiming he lived with his girlfriend who was trans. I even see people spreading "he was MAGA" as if it's some sort of fact when it isn't, it's irresponsible gossip at this point. I mena, how many people here have MAGA parents? It means almost nothing about his affiliations.

The real truth is that we know little about this guy right now, and the only real info I've seen from trusted authorities involved some sort of writing on the cases that had antifa type slogans. I wish they would all just slow down and knock it off with the BS until official info is released by law enforcement.

[herding cats]

7. Where is it being reported he lived with his trans girlfriend?

I read a lot of major news sites and somehow missed that to date.

[ForgedCrank]

8. I can't

post it. Every time I try, I get flagged and busted for "right wing talking points". No one can really discuss anything here in any meaningful way without getting mobbed.
Anyway, that is all still just gossip at this point, I see no direct statements from authorities regarding the trans connection stuff

[herding cats]

9. Thanks and I'm sorry about that.

I know it's sometimes hard to discuss what they're saying over here.

I'm glad it's just a rumor, I thought it was a fact and was surprised it had went this far along without being reported yet.

[niyad]

13. See post 12.

[Prairie Gates]

11. Awwwwww

[niyad]

12. Seriously? You are not "flagged for review", nor do you have any hides,

so, clearly, you have not been "mobbed".

[NBachers]

15. Rec

[herding cats]

16. Ha!

I should have checked. Probably not speaking of this account having issues, ya know?

As to the rumor they referenced I did look it up and it's one sole person from Twitter who is dating a RW congressman and has a low end job at FOX. her claim is an unnamed source. No bias there.

[niyad]

18. hmm, yes. Some of us do wonder!

[madinmaryland]

21. The right wing is trying their damnedest to pin it on a trans.

Disgusting.

[herding cats]

24. Yup.

They're a bunch of sick minded, hate filled jerks!

[Quanta]

35. Bullshit.

Don't even try this false equivalency crap. The right owns this lock, stock, and barrel, no pun intended. The jury is still out on the groyper connection, but it looks pretty tight. It's right on right crime no matter how you look at it. Call Nancy Mace and explain your assertion to her, but don't bring that shit up in here.

[Quanta]

45. All I saw was the right trying their damnedest to pin it on a lib

When it was just one more of their sick little boys in full grown man bodies, doing the dirty work for fascists, pedophiles, and a sick white xtian nationalist ideology that is circling the drain.

[Torchlight]

46. Quite the assertions

Doesn't really change the taste of mustard, though.

[herding cats]

37. Calling the roommate out as trans is nothing at all like saying Robinson could be a Groyper.

Nick Fuentes has made a career of endorsing hateful beliefs and led an online war on Charlie Kirk. It at least tracks

Right this minute the FB of the person they've outed as his roommate is being assailed with hate messages for their supposed role in Kirk's murder, which the authorities say doesn't exist. This is a person who shared with the authorities the Discord messages which said were he'd hidden the gun and other such incriminating evidence. Now this person is going to be living in fear of these Kirk supporting nutcases out to kill them.

[herding cats]

43. Speculation based off his dumb etchings is not the same as doxing the roommate

People will speculate as they always have as to a motive behind a high profile murder. There's no equivalent between speculation on if he's a Groyper (which I doubt) and doxing a person as an accomplice who helped put him behind bars! They're not the same.

You're the one who seems to want this to be about ideological truths. That's not what this is at all. There's a real living innocent person who was just doxxed in an attempt to fit the RW media's narrative.

[Scrivener7]

31. You have zero hides. What are you talking about?

[ForgedCrank]

34. That is

correct, and it is zero now because I'm not allowed to actually debate anymore. I got posts removed for doing nothing more than linking to court rulings. Challenge the gossip with a fact and bam, "right wing talking points".

[Scrivener7]

52. "I'm not allowed to actually debate anymore." Poor dear.

[Torchlight]

44. Right. Okay.

[yardwork]

47. Then why are you repeating it again?

If the source is an unreliable right source, why would you repeat it here?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. The FReak site for one. . . . . nt

[herding cats]

17. It seems to be nothing but a RW wish at this point.

But thanks for that clarification.

[LeftInTX]

20. You can google it. It's in the Daily Mail. (Has pics of roommate) For what it's worth.

But it's totally irrelevant because said roommate is the one who turned him in.

It's in other RW sites, but DM has pics.

[herding cats]

26. I've seen.

It's seems a pretty huge stretch. I'm feeling extra sorry for the roommate now since you just know they're going to be getting death threats and are in true danger.

[LeftInTX]

40. The roommate told his father

[Kali]

19. LOL

antifa? you sure aren't reading much real news or analysis.

[herding cats]

22. Me?

I'm just pointing out how asinine that claim was when the WSJ originally made .

They said the etchings were “transgender and anti-fascist ideology” which were total bullshit propaganda. I'm not making that claim however.

[Kali]

25. no, not you

the antifa claim. it is as bad as the trans carvings. it is bullshit. best things I have read indicate it is gamer stuff.

[herding cats]

27. Right!

Yeah, we're in total agreement here.

I got out of sequence and see now who you replied to! Lol

[tavernier]

23. Didn't we write all those antifa slogans

at the last meeting at Soro’s place? How come they were used on gun casings and we didn’t get paid royalties?
That George… trying to cut back on us.

[Kali]

28. I don't even have regular teevee or news

get most everything here on DU and I have seen all kinds of good "reporting" and analysis. antifa?

[Scrivener7]

33. Sir, that wasn't Soros's house. That was a Wendy's.

[tavernier]

51. Oh yeah.

Easy mistake. He does like to decorate with posters of baked potatoes and smoothies.

[0rganism]

36. Being that Mr. Robinson is still alive, it should be entirely possible to get this information straight from the source

No doubt, his lawyers will require him to clam up, but my guess is he'll be pleading guilty anyway, so he could probably speak directly to some of these motive-related questions himself. Now, whether his statements about his motivations can be trusted is another matter entirely, but everyone's speculating when there's at least one living person who knows the whole truth.

[herding cats]

39. Maybe he will expound on his reasons.

I'm not sure he will say much more than he was a lone wolf and his family and loved ones were not involved.