Booker Prize-winning author Sir Salman Rushdie has pointed to the pervasive firearm culture in the United States as a direct cause of the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
A 'Consequence' of America's Gun Problem
In an exclusive interview with Sky News lead presenter Wilfred Frost, Sir Salman condemned the killing as an "appalling act of violence." He argued, however, that such brutality is an inevitable outcome in a nation saturated with weapons.
"But it seems to me to be a characteristic or a consequence of America's terrifying gun culture," the author stated. "When you have a situation where there are more guns in private ownership than there are people in the country, I mean, guns are everywhere."
Rushdie elaborated on a societal acceptance of firearms that normalises violence. "When children are brought up being taught by their parents how to use guns, and guns are being left in the home in unlocked cabinets, it's a country in which violent gun-related crime happens almost every day. And this is one of the most brutal examples of it," he told Sky News.
Reflections on Survival and Political Violence
The Indian-British author's perspective is informed by his own horrific experience of targeted violence. Sir Salman survived an assassination attempt on 12 August 2022 at the Chautauqua Institution in New York.
His attacker, Hadi Matar, stabbed him repeatedly in the head, neck, torso, and left hand. The injuries caused significant damage to his liver and intestines and left him blind in one eye. Matar was subsequently sentenced to 25 years in prison in May 2024.
Rushdie documented the attack and his long recovery in his 2024 memoir, "Knife." His latest work, "Eleventh Hour," marks a return to fiction.
When questioned about the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump, Rushdie offered a brief response: "Well, I guess I'm happy that it failed. Beyond that, I don't have a lot to say about it."
Why AI Can't Replace Human Creativity
Discussing his craft, Sir Salman expressed firm doubts about the ability of artificial intelligence to replicate the essence of human artistry. He based his views on personal experimentation with AI tools.
"The couple of little experiments that I've carried out with AI suggest to me that at least this far, it doesn't have a sense of humour. And it's not original," he asserted. "What it can do is to duplicate things that have been fed into it. But good art is original, and I don't think that AI has an original bone in its body."
For Rushdie, the core elements of compelling writing—emotion, humour, and true creativity—remain uniquely human attributes that technology cannot authentically capture.
The full Sky News interview also features Sir Salman Rushdie's comments on the rising trend of book bans and the state of freedom of speech in the United States.
