Kent State 'gun girl' vows return to Ohio University with 'army of gun owners' after protest

Kaitlin Bennett, dubbed the Kent State "gun girl," has vowed to return to Ohio University after she faced an onslaught of protesters telling her to leave their campus this week.

Bennett is a conservative activist who gained viral social media attention in 2018 for her graduation photos featuring her celebratory stroll around alma mater Kent State University while openly carrying a semi-automatic rifle.

Videos on social media poured in Monday as Bennett was on the Athens campus and faced students yelling and throwing objects and water.

Bennett, who often decries liberals and "leftists," especially on college campuses, and posts interview videos online to "expose their hypocrisy," said she was there simply to ask questions when students began to "riot" against her.

The Ohio University Police Department rejected Bennett’s claim that the crowd had risen to the level of a "riot" and assured the public that officers were present throughout the incident to "protect everyone's rights and safety."

In a tweet, Bennett said she would return to the campus at an unspecified time and vowed to "bring an army of gun owners for an open carry walk through campus."

Bennett did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment about the plan or whether she would notify police ahead of time.

Bennett criticized the police department's response to Monday's incident and claimed they did not help her, but in its statement, the department said it put "everyone's personal safety ahead of all other concerns" and that Bennett did not notify them of her visit ahead of time.

"Although such notice is not required, the lack of it deprived the department of the ability to plan staffing levels," the department said.

The department also said that there were no reports of injury, violence or arrests. The Ohio University Police Department also did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Bennett's announced return.

The campus bans concealed-carry of firearms but open carry is mostly allowed in public areas in Ohio, the Athens News reported.

In her graduation photos, Bennett carried an AR-10 across her back and a graduation cap reading, "come and take it." As a student, Bennett was prohibited from carrying a firearm on campus, but after graduating, she was considered a visitor and legally permitted to carry the rifle.

Since her viral graduation photos, Bennett has risen in conservative social media circles and appeared on Fox News.

However, she also has defended and appeared on video with Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist who claimed the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax. Bennett works for "Liberty Hangout,"a self-described libertarian website that has been criticized for anti-Semitism.

Contributing: William Cummings and Adrianna Rodriguez

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kaitlin Bennett, Kent State gun girl, vows return to Ohio University