Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted a video to his Facebook account, saying the act of violence made him sick.
"As a nation, we need to be praying for the healing of this country," Mullin said. "And we need to be praying for Charlie Kirk right now, regardless of your beliefs as a Republican or Democrat. In a time of desperation, we need to pray because what's going on here is disturbing, and it should never take place."
In an interview with The New York Times, Jackson Lahmeyer, an Oklahoma pastor who founded the Pastors for Trump Network, framed Kirk as a martyr.
"Charlie died for what he believed in, he died for something greater than just himself," Lahmeyer told the Times. "We hope and we pray that Charlie's death is not one in vain."
Gov. Kevin Stitt has ordered all U.S. and Oklahoma flags on state property to be flown at half-staff through Sunday to honor Kirk's "extraordinary life and legacy."
"Charlie Kirk was one of the most courageous and outspoken defenders of the United States and the principles that make America great," Stitt wrote in an executive order."His life exemplified a fearless courage to protect and preserve the freedoms that we cherish as Oklahomans."
Stitt shared prayers for Kirk and his family in a series of social media posts as the events of his death unfolded.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond also issued a statement offering his prayers to the Kirk family.
"Politically motivated violence has become a deadly epidemic in this country," Drummond said. "There is never justification to extinguish a life over political disagreements."
Although President Trump has attributed Kirk's death to rhetoric from "the radical left," the shooter has not been identified, and their motivations are unknown.
Kirk was shot during a conversation with students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, as he answered a question about gun violence. In 2023, Kirk had said gun deaths were a cost that was "worth it" to protect Second Amendment freedoms.
Kirk's assassination comes during an uptick of political violence across the United States. Democratic Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated in their home three months ago, and another Minnesota Democrat was shot. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's home was firebombed in April. A year ago, Trump was shot at an open-air campaign event.
Sen. James Lankford recounted those violent acts in a video posted to his social media, before calling Oklahomans to reflect before reacting to Kirk's assassination.
"This is a different moment for the country, and it's a moment we need to think about just as people," Lankford said. "I've had folks that have reached out to me and said, this is the moment we need to take up arms. And I just have so said to them, basically: shut up.
"Stop, hear what you're actually saying[...]. That's not where we need to go as a country. That's not what needs to happen."
After the assassination attempt on Trump in Jul. 2024, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum CEO Kari Watkins offered similar advice to people disturbed by political violence.
"We all have a very significant responsibility to tone it down," Watkins said at the time. "To take a deep breath, to listen, to listen some more and be willing to share why we feel strongly about something. But that doesn't mean we're always right."
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