A moment of silence for Charlie Kirk erupts into chaos on the House floor after Lauren Boebert’s shocking request—lawmakers clash, tempers flare, explosive accusations fly, and the tribute turns into a heated shouting match. What sparked the uproar? America demands answers as drama unfolds in Congress.

Kirk was fatally shot while visiting a college campus in Utah on Sept. 10

The House of Representatives observed a moment of silence after the shooting of Charlie Kirk — but the tribute quickly devolved into partisan chaos.

Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot on Wednesday, Sept. 10, while addressing a crowd of students at Utah Valley University.

Before his death was announced, House Speaker Mike Johnson held a moment of silence in his honor, which then shifted into a shouting match between Democrats and Republicans when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) requested that the chamber also offer a spoken prayer for Kirk, saying, “I believe silent prayers get silent results.”

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican firebrand in the U.S. House.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty

A handful of Democrats grew audibly frustrated, with mumblings about how Republicans have overlooked other victims of gun violence.

“What about the kids in Colorado?” one Democrat was heard shouting, referencing the Colorado high school shooting that transpired in Boebert’s state on the same day and left three people in critical condition.

“You all caused this!” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) — a former colleague of Kirk’s at Turning Point USA — yelled back in response before uttering at least one expletive, according to The New York Times and Politico.

Luna’s words quelled a heated response from House Democrats, including Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, who reportedly shouted at her conservative counterparts to “pass some gun laws.”

Speaker Johnson raised his voice repeatedly to try and get the room to calm down.

Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, told Axios that praying on the House floor isn’t observed as part of the body’s protocol — not even for the deaths of U.S. representatives.

“You have a system that you follow for everybody … and when you violate it and create exceptions, it then leads to this uneasiness and I think that’s kind of what happened in the moment,” Morelle told the outlet.

Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty

At the time of the shooting, Kirk was facilitating one of his signature “Prove Me Wrong” debates on his American Comeback Tour, inviting students to debate him on various political topics.

Kirk was responding to a student’s question about gun violence when he appeared to be struck in the neck, prompting the large crowd to retreat in panic.

Hours after the shooting, Trump announced on social media that Kirk had died.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” he wrote on Truth Social. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”

Kirk’s death prompted a large response across the political spectrum, with both liberal and conservative politicians condemning the unnerving pattern of political violence in the States.