Parents Gave Shooter ‘Build Your Own Gun’ Set For Christmas

The parents of the young man who confessed to the murder of Charlie Kirk once gave him a “build your own gun” gift for Christmas, indulging his obsession with firearms that others who knew the family now look back on with alarm and shock.

Tyler Robinson, 22, the alleged assassin who stalked Charlie Kirk at a Utah event before killing him with a hunting rifle, spent most of his childhood fascinated by guns, according to social media posts that his family made over the years and which track the arc of his life from curious child to cold-blooded killer.

One photo shows Robinson as a teenager posing with an M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun. In another, Robinson shows off a scoped rifle, and in a third, he hoists a bazooka on his shoulder.

Facebook posts by his mother, Amber, and younger brothers suggest the Robinson family made frequent trips to gun ranges where Tyler would practice the craft he’d later use to take the life of Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a father of two young children.

One photo from the range shows the mother smiling and holding up a US Army machine gun.

At Christmas in 2017, Robinson’s brother is seen in a photo unboxing a “build it yourself” rifle kit that his parents gifted the boys. Tyler stands nearby, smiling and holding a brand new iPhone.

In another image from later that year, Robinson is seen at Halloween time wearing a costume designed to make President Donald Trump appear like a horse being ridden. His younger brother stands next to him, posing in black and with a toy hunting rifle clinging to his back.

On Friday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that authorities had obtained the weapon used to kill Kirk: a Mauser bolt-action rifle, one of America’s most popular firearms for hunting.

Investigators believe Robinson scoured the side of a campus building where he fired a single round from about 200 yards away, fatally striking Kirk in the neck as he answered questions in front of thousands of intrigued onlookers.

Law enforcement officials told the Daily Mail that the 22-year-old was taken into custody late Thursday night after confessing to the murder to his father, a former police officer. According to President Donald Trump, his father, Matthew Robinson, informed the family pastor, who alerted a known U.S. Marshal.

Both Trump and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox have indicated they will support the death penalty for Robinson, who faces charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice, according to a probable cause affidavit.