Hundreds of pro-gun supporters and counter-protesters clashed on the campus of Kent State University Saturday at a during a pro-Second Amendment walk.
For the most part, the protests were peaceful but the rally was cut short an more than an hour before it was scheduled to wrap-up, due in part to the large number of counter-protesters that showed up.
According to WKYC, the event was organized by Kaitlin Bennet, the Kent State graduate who gained notoriety on the internet this past spring for an on-campus photo shoot featuring her AR-10. Bennett was angry that the Second Amendment event was cut short but vowed that she would be back.
Other students called the abrupt end to the rally a victory.
“We had a lot of students show up that weren’t part of student groups or anything. They came out and said ‘no’ to this,” Kent State senior Ethan Comeriato told WKYC. “I think it was a big victory and I think it shows there is a mass amount of people who say no to any type of totalitarian ideology surfacing in our country and taking over.”
The university confirmed that four people were arrested during the protests, none of whom were students at Kent State.
“Today’s events concluded with minimal violence and injury and no damage to the university property,” President Beverly Warren said at a press conference.
In Ohio, open carry is legal on public property, even at public universities, but Kent State students and staff are not permitted to possess guns on campus.