The American Flag is a symbol of courage, purity, perseverance, and justice. The image of red, white, and blue flying strong is engrained in American culture, a reminder that despite our differences, we are all under the same flag. Although it often isn’t required to fly the flag, many buildings and homes across America choose to do so, evoking a sense of unity and patriotism within the nation. 

Oftentimes, the flag is requested to be flown at half-staff, typically to honor fallen government officials or to mark national tragedies. The president has the authority to issue nationwide orders for half-staffed flags, while governors have the power to issue statewide orders.

A recent order took place after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and popular conservative social media influencer, at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Kirk, who had two kids and a wife, was a young victim of gun violence, dying at the age of 31. Shortly afterward, President Donald Trump issued a statement calling for flags to be flown at half-staff nationwide. While both gun and political violence are tragic, Trump’s actions raise the question: When is it truly appropriate to lower flags to half-staff?

On the same day of the Kirk shooting, a separate school shooting occurred at Evergreen High School in Colorado, leaving three students critically injured. In his statement, Trump made no mention of this incident, referencing Kirk as the sole reason as to why the flag was lowered. Kirk is notably not a government official, suggesting a biased decision rather than a national one. 

While there isn’t an issue in mourning or respecting an individual, Charlie Kirk’s death did not warrant a national mourning. However, gun and political violence is a reason to. According to PEW Research Center, 46,728 individuals died in 2023 due to gun-related deaths. If the flag was flown half-staff for the reason of gun violence, then Trump’s order would have been reasonable as gun violence is a significant issue that currently impacts America. 

The debate over when flags should be flown half-staff is further fueled when Trump did not lower the flag for other government officials. For example, on June 14, 2025, Democratic Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman was assassinated in a shooting at her home. Hortman was a government official involved with working on societal problems such as K-12 education funding, higher educations, and equity and inclusion projects, according to CNN. Even so, Trump did not call for flags to be lowered.

While both Hortman and Kirk were victims of political violence, Hortman was an elected official; she was elected amongst 434 other house representatives to champion her respective constituency’s beliefs. In the current status quo, the President is deliberately choosing when or when not to lower the flag. In order to establish an appropriate setting of national respect and distinguish what truly constitutes national mourning, there should be set regulations of when it is appropriate to lower the flag. 

Currently, there are six dedicated days in America for nationwide half-staff flags. According to the American Half Staff Flag Calendar, the flag is lowered on National Firefighters Memorial Day, Peace Officers Memorial Day, Memorial Day, Patriot Day, Korean Wars Armistice Day, and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. 

Both Patriot Day, which falls on Sept. 11, and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which lies on Dec. 7, are tribute to attacks on U.S. soil. The rest of the days are for individuals who fought for America: firefighters, military personnel, and soldiers. The flag should continue to be half-staff for these days as they all hold significant meaning to American history and honor those who served to protect Americans. 

State governors, however, should have more autonomy for when they want to lower the flag as they bring attention to certain causes while not having it symbolize national distress. For instance, while there wasn’t a nationwide call for half-staff flags for George Floyd, state governors of New Mexico, Oregon, North Carolina, and more opted to order their flags half-staff. George Floyd was a victim of police brutality, and his death marked a tragic reality for people of color in America. 

 If there was a nationwide call for half-staff flags in the name of George Floyd himself, then there would have to be a nationwide half-staff flag for every individual who died due to police brutality. According to the University of Illinois at Chicago, there are over 600 American deaths that occur annually due to law enforcement. That alone is almost double the amount of days we have in a year. Combine that with the amount of other brutal, tragic deaths that occur, America could have their flag be half-staff everyday and it would never be nearly enough. 

In order to honor those who do die of systemic issues, the United States could consider adding dedicated days for the issue behind the death. The President should only lower the flag for officials or a designated issue, such as natural disasters, shootings, and unprecedented events. It’s important we as a nation honor those, and that we honor individuals who had a national level, dedicated service to America. If the flag is half-staff for everyone who fostered change, then we risk it losing its significance and value.