Kaitlin Bennett, also known as the “Kent State Gun Girl,” has been trending on social media after her infamous interviews have not gone her way.

Bennett is a young far-right, American gun rights advocate, anti-abortion activist and social media personality. Bennett received her title as the Kent State Gun Girl after a series of photos went viral of her in 2018 for openly carrying an AR-10 rifle around Kent State University after her graduation. 

Ever since her photos went viral, Bennett has launched a platform stricken with controversial political viewpoints, debatable interviewing methods and a social media presence that does not go ignored. Recently, gun girl videos have been trending on Twitter that portray Bennett getting trolled by interviewees and observers of her actions.

Bennett’s controversial opinions are not only centered around the topics of gun laws, gender and abortion, but they go far deeper as they are centered around baiting angry reactions and debates out of any citizen that is in her path.

Although she claims to be a working journalist seeking out the diverse opinions of people that disagree with hers, it only appears that she will not pass up the opportunity of getting a reaction out of people, creating conflicts and showing that she carries a gun with her at all times.

DePaul communications professor, Jordan Stalker shared his insights on Kaitlin Bennett and her journalistic platform. Stalker specializes in communication mechanisms and history as well as in media ethics. While he believes Bennett can be considered a working and providing journalist, she lacks the presence and temperment of traditional journalists.

“I think she knows what she’s doing,” he said. “Maybe it’s not with good intention but it’s definitely with intent and that’s where one of the real ethical dangers lie.”

While she claims that the conservative viewpoints are the correct and rational side of the political agenda, she enjoys fueling the anger of left-leaning people all around the country, no matter how uncomfortable and riled up it makes them. Her style of journalism is not one that should represent the work of all journalists- and is better off ignored.

Jessica Livingston, a junior at Kent State University, shared her experiences while she and Kaitlin Bennett shared a college campus together.

“When I was a freshman she was a senior in my elementary Spanish I class,” she said. “She was quiet in class but she did wear very offensive opinionated t-shirts. She was very vocal outside of the classroom and was active in Turning Point. She was often in the student center asking students questions about their beliefs. She came back after she graduated for her rallies and the

campus was shut down because the university was worried about our safety.”

Bennett often looks to film interviews at places that is highly populated with more left-leaning opinions: places like gay pride parades, women’s marches and college campuses are at the core of her intended interviews.

As Bennett hopes to capture the irrational anger of the left in hopes to entertain her far-right audience, she truly ends up embarrassing herself and often attempts to talk herself out of arguments.

While it is entertaining to watch Bennett get trolled  in her videos and ultimately proved wrong on Twitter, it is also what she wants us to do. Our intensified attention to her only keeps the camera running and the microphone in her hand.

No matter what structured and sane arguments her opposers in her videos will have, Bennett will not change her views or her demeanor on camera – she is simply getting paid and funded by those who love to see her get a rise out of left-leaning interviewees and watchers.

The question is, how would DePaul students react if Bennett showed up on our campus, would students offer her content? While there is a select group of right-leaning students, most students would likely disagree with Bennett’s viewpoints.

DePaul sophomore Amanda Janis offered her insights on how she would react and expect the campus to behave if Bennett urged us with her presence, “I would be bothered if she came to campus,” she said. “I think fellow students would tear her arguments and opinions apart.”

Livingston also shares the same belief that it is best to ignore Bennett. She said that although it is important to have conversations with people with opposing viewpoints, conversations are most effective when they are constructive and when they are not-interactions are pointless. She finds that Bennett only makes fun of thepeople she interviews and her  conversations with interviewees are not constructive but are often one-sided.

Although Bennett is the type of journalist to raise controversy and open up arguments, trolling her platform and fueling her fire only puts money in her pocket that people should not fund.