By: Teresa Mull
A pro-Second Amendment demonstration held at Kent State University (KSU) in Ohio over the weekend ended early after counter-protesters, some of them hiding their faces, turned up and disrupted the peaceful event.
Kaitlin Bennett, the Kent State University graduate who made headlines earlier this year when she posted a photo of herself on campus with an AR-10 slung over her shoulder, organized and led the event. Approximately 150 gun-rights activists took part in the open carry walk. Hundreds of law enforcement officers in riot gear patrolled the event.
"Protesters — a diverse group that represented Antifa, Black Lives Matter, other groups and people without affiliation — shouted … as drones and a police helicopter whirred overhead, looking for flash points of trouble," Ohio.com reports.
Laura Hill was part of the anti-gun group protesting the walk. Ohio.com shared her story:
Last week, [Hill] saw a man walking a German shepherd through their Kent neighborhood with a handgun holstered on his hip.
He was wearing a neon-green Kent State T-shirt, and she though he might be a police officer but wasn’t sure.
“I called 911,” she said.
The dispatcher told her openly carrying guns is legal in Ohio, but said officers would check it out.
Hill — carrying a large sign that said, “Disarm Hate” — doesn’t know what happened to the man, but she keeps a picture of him on her phone in case law enforcement ever needs it.
The open carry walk ended an hour before it was scheduled to, and four counter-protesters were arrested. Ohio.com reports that one anti-gun advocate appeared to have faked an injury during the event:
About 3:30 p.m., officers carried a limp protester with a scrape on his head out of the crowd and to the sidewalk in front of Olson Hall.
He was among the protesters hiding their faces. A woman — entirely covered, save for her huge blue eyes — began screaming hysterically that he was unresponsive.
Officers assured her he was fine.
A few students had gathered to watch the drama. Some said the man was clearly faking being hurt, as was his friend screaming hysterically.
It turned out the protester did only have a scrape, university officials said. But he was one of the four arrested.
Teresa Mull is editor of Gunpowder Magazine. Contact her at [email protected].
Photo Credit: Shutterstock