Stephen King Gives Thoughts On High Profile Murder Case
Author Stephen King is facing renewed scrutiny after he weighed in on last weekend’s politically explosive shootings in Minnesota, blaming not the suspect, but “the gun” as the “real culprit” behind the deadly attacks.
Authorities say Vance Boelter, disguised as a law enforcement officer, murdered Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home and severely wounded State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in a similar ambush-style attack.
Both incidents involved impersonation tactics—Boelter reportedly wore a fake police uniform and used a vehicle resembling a patrol car to gain access to the victims.
In response, King took to X (formerly Twitter), writing:
Vance Boelter is clearly as nutty as a fruitcake. The real culprit is the gun he used. They’re everywhere, and it’s years too late to put that genie back in the bottle. ♂️Nuts are gonna do nutty, violent things, and guns are easily obtainable.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 16, 2025
King’s remarks have reignited debate over gun control and mental illness, particularly in cases where the attacker’s motivations and mental state raise complex questions. Critics argue that reducing a politically motivated, premeditated assassination to a generic statement about firearms oversimplifies a far deeper issue.
This is not King’s first foray into gun politics. In 2013, he published a widely circulated essay calling for a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” citing his status as a cultural figure with “liberal creds” and advocating what he called the “Gospel of Gun Control.” In a 2023 New York Times op-ed, King lamented the widespread availability of firearms, claiming, “Americans love guns and appear willing to pay the price in blood.”
King’s latest comments, however, come at a particularly sensitive moment. The Minnesota attacks appeared politically charged, with early reports suggesting the gunman believed he was acting under imaginary orders from Democratic Governor Tim Walz.
Yet, rather than address the ideological or psychological dimensions of the case, King attributed primary blame to the weapon itself—an argument that’s drawing pushback from those who say tools don’t substitute for intent or motive.