A gunman killed Kirk during his visit to Utah Valley University.
The shooting, which took place outdoors in front of a large crowd of attendees, has raised concerns about how to ensure public safety at large-scale events.
ABC11 reached out to some universities in the Triangle to find out what they're doing to ensure students' safety. NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, and NC Central all declined requests for an interview on Wednesday.
An NC State spokesperson issued a statement:
"The NC State University Police Department is committed to helping make events within our university community as safe and enjoyable as possible. To achieve this, we regularly coordinate with event organizers and campus stakeholders to develop safety measures tailored to each event. Factors considered include organizer requests, anticipated attendance, venue, and other context-specific needs. We remain dedicated to exceeding industry standards for event safety to promote a secure environment across our campus."
An NC Central spokesperson said the university does not comment on the specifics of safety and security protocols, but said the university's police department conducted active shooter response and other drills on campus over the summer.
UNC-Chapel Hill told ABC11 it does not discuss information on safety plans for security reasons.
ALSO SEE | Wake County school officials discuss large-scale event security plans, safety upgrades
The Raleigh Police Department was also not available for an interview.
A spokesperson for the department issued a statement:
"The Raleigh Police Department has not held internal discussions regarding changes to our current approach to managing events in and around the city. We rely heavily on the Raleigh Intelligence Center, which continuously monitors and evaluates both local and national events that could inform any future adjustments to our security measures."
Dr. Roy Taylor, a law enforcement and security consultant, said many departments nationwide may be using the shooting in Utah as an after-action review.
"They should be meeting with their command staff, their tactical team, and say, 'Okay, how would we have responded to this? What would we have done differently? What can we learn from the tragedy in Utah?" he said.
Dr. Taylor also said the key to ensuring public safety lies in strong security planning by event organizers and ensuring layers of security at public events.
"Having a tactical team on standby, having fire and EMS, plus up for events, having roads blocked, and having equipment staged are all things that they would typically do," said Taylor. "This is a dangerous society that we're living in right now."