"The atmospherics today are so bad and the infrastructure by which how we both communicate and politically engage are so aggressive and conflictual and filled with misinformation, that many unstable people will believe that they have communal approval for undertaking violence against someone who they vehemently disagree with," Levin said.
Levin went on to describe Kirk as someone who clearly embraced debate. As offensive as his conservative views may have been to some groups, Levin described the shooting as a tarnish to American civil democracy.
He believes there are millions of Americans who think violence is a legitimate way to resolve political disputes.
Levin said with the current climate, he doesn't see any change, any time soon.