A planned pro-Second Amendment demonstration was cancelled by Kent State University after school administrators cited excessive security costs.
The rally was to be spearheaded by Kaitlin Bennet, better known to her followers as the “Kent State Gun Girl.” Bennet, a Kent State alum, rose to prominence on social media after her graduation photos showing her with a semi-automatic rifle slung over her back went viral. The barrel of the firearm rested next to her graduation cap, which had the phrase “come and take it!” inscribed on the top.
“Now that I graduated from @KentState, I can finally arm myself on campus,” Bennet’s caption of the infamous photo read. “I should have been able to do so as a student- especially since 4 unarmed students were shot and killed by the government on this campus.”
The tweet referred to the 1970 shooting of 4 Kent State students in 1970 by National Guard troops. The students were protesting U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, specifically the bombing campaigns targeting Viet Cong militants in Cambodia.
Bennet has since become a popular symbol of Second Amendment freedoms among more conservative college students.
Kent State called off the planned rally saying the administration would be forced to cough up $14,000 in security fees. The Ohio school tried to placate the situation by saying students could in fact organize at the end of September, but they wouldn’t be allowed to carry guns.
In response to the university’s actions, Bennet along with student organization Liberty Hangout has stated plans to commence with an open carry “walk” instead. Bennet says she hopes to use the event to promote a dialogue about open-carry policies, and Second Amendment rights as a whole.
It’s good to see Bennet and her student supporters pushing ahead despite the university’s setback. Universities have shelled out far larger security fees in the past, so let’s not pretend what this is really about — silencing dissenting opinions. Thankfully, Bennet and Liberty Hangout aren’t allowing that to happen.
~ Ready to Fire News
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