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The recent shooting on set of the set of “Rust” involving Alec Baldwin sparked conversation among conservative political figures on social media.

The politicization of tragedies has become a recurring theme in the U.S., especially because of the more frequent occurrence of life-changing events: the pandemic, gun violence, and police brutality. Incidents are being turned into political statements regardless of their severity.

The recent tragic shooting involving actor and political activist Alec Baldwin, which killed one and injured another, is a prime example of this egregious trend.

On Oct. 21, Baldwin was on the New Mexico set of his new Western movie, “Rust,” when he was handed a prop gun which he was told was loaded with blank cartridges. The gun, however, was loaded with real bullets, causing Baldwin to fatally shoot a cinematographer and injure a director when he fired it.

The tragic event has been labeled as a freak accident, and charges have not been pressed. However, many conservatives have taken to social media and news platforms to shift the conversation from remembering and honoring the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins to the issue of gun rights. 

Baldwin’s political beliefs have been dragged into the situation by conservatives who find irony in the fact that he has, in the past, criticized politicians who oppose gun control laws. Conservative commentator Candace Owens is one example of a political figure who has used the incident to support her stance. “Literally not one thing that Alec Baldwin has said about Donald Trump and his supporters is going to age well,” she tweeted. 

Lauren Boebert, a Republican U.S. Representative from Colorado, joined Owens in politicizing the situation after sharing her thoughts in a tweet. “You crazy Blue Checks want to take away our right to defend ourselves with a firearm, and know NOTHING about basic gun safety!” she wrote. “If this was a conservative celebrity you’d be calling for his head.”

The raging tweets, posts and news statements did not end there, with countless conservative voices rushing to connect the incident to Baldwin’s political affiliation and capitalizing on the fatal accident. Donald Trump Jr. even went as far as to design t-shirts that read “Guns don’t kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people.”

The instant politicization of this tragic event is only one example of many occurrences where politicians bring attention to how they relate to certain political ideologies, rather than the mourning of lives that were lost. While politics are a large part of our daily lives, there is a need for distinction of when it is appropriate to discuss the political aspect of situations.

History teacher and 2022 Iowa Teacher of the Year, Sara Russell, values educating the next generation on how to respond to political events in their own lives. Russell believes that when tragedies occur it is easier for people to become more invested in the bigger issue of the situation. “I think today it is really hard to distinguish what is ‘political’ and what is not. It is natural for people to see something happen, especially tragedies, and think, ‘How can we prevent this from happening in the future?’ When things happen we are going to be naturally more plugged into the situation than we would be normally,” she said.

It is extremely easy for people to feel obligated to comment on or make a statement about tragic events that occur and how they align with their personal views. However, it is imperative that these commentators restrain themselves from losing sight of the actual issues involved when discussing tragedies. 

Russell hopes that in the future, people are able to begin looking at the issues from which events directly stem. “I worry that sometimes in society we use ‘politicizing’ something as an excuse to not do something about the real problem. My hope for the next generation is that they can look at tragedies that happen and be more solution-oriented. What is the bigger systemic issue that leads to tragedies?” she shared.

Tragedies and incidents that involve fatalities need to be viewed with careful consideration of the lives lost, people involved and systemic issues that cause them. If society continues to devote extensive time and energy to irrelevant issues, there will be no room for positive, effective change.