Photo of Kent State Graduate Carrying Gun AR-10 on Campus Goes Viral

May 16, 2018 Education, Free Speech

A tweet from a Kent State graduate has gained quite a bit of attention recently, with about 2,000 retweets.

 

“Come and take it,” the decorated graduation cap reads. Kaitlin Bell, stands facing away from the camera with a gun slung over her shoulder in a white dress that matches the lettering on her graduation cap. This is her response to the policy that Kent State has, not allowing students to carry any deadly weapons.

Eric Mansfield, executive director of University Media Relations at Kent State, released a statement to WJW:

“Kent State University was recently ranked the safest big college campus in Ohio and 25th safest in the country, according to the National Council for Home Safety and Security. The university has a full-time, certified police force of more than 30 sworn officers who protect the campus. These officers are visible, well-trained and on duty 24/7 in support of students, staff and faculty.”

Although the photo has received ample amounts of criticism, Bell isn’t going to apologize for her graduation pictures.

Kaitlyn Bell isn’t the only college graduate to post graduation pictures showing off the right to bear a gun. Another student Brenna Spencer, from Chattanooga Tennessee, gained an even larger mass of attention for sporting a Women For Trump shirt and having a firearm tucked away in her pants.

 

These photos have caused Twitter users to rally with support or shake their heads from secondhand embarrassment. Where do you stand?

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Audrey Bowers
Author:
Audrey Bowers recently graduated from Ball State University with a B.A. in English. Bowers is currently an MFA candidate at Butler University. They are the editor in chief of Brave Voices Magazine and formerly the assistant managing editor of The Broken Plate.

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