When Kaitlin Bennett returned to campus a day after her graduation ceremony, she brought her graduation cap and an AR-10 rifle.
She posed for photographs with the high-powered, semi-automatic weapon holding a sign with the message “come and take it”.
She said the quote was inspired by historical figure King Leonidas of Sparta, who is known for saying a similar phrase when Spartans were ordered to surrender their weapons.
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Defending her choice, Ms Bennett referred to a 1970 incident where 13 protesters and bystanders were killed by members of the Ohio National Guard at the university.
But with the recent spate of school shootings, many found the photos in poor taste.
The AR-10 is more powerful than the AR-15, the rifle used to kill 17 students at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida.
Among those criticising Ms Bennett is David Hogg – a student who survived the Florida shooting and has since become a prominent anti-gun activist in the US.
After Mr Hogg re-tweeted a fellow activist’s claim that Ms Bennett was taking advantage of her ‘white privilege’, she said the student activist had “tiny arms with Hitler-like bands” and challenged him to a discussion about guns.
Ms Bennett is the founder of Liberty Hangout at Kent, an on-campus club which claims to promote peace and prosperity.
The group often posts controversial articles promoting guns on their website, including one which claimed Jews could have prevented the Holocaust if they had been armed.
Ms Bennett’s controversial photo shoot not only earned her a spot on Fox & Friends, but also a job offer from a local gun retailer, Blue Target Firearms, and several marriage proposals, according to her Twitter.
She said she hoped US President Donald Trump had tuned in to watch the interview, and encouraged the President to begin a "Campus Carry initiative".
The provocative photos have triggered claims of white privilege against the graduate, with some on social media commenting that Ms Bennett has the luxury of openly carrying a firearm because she is white.
In response to the social media furore, Kent State University released a statement, which assured students "that our campus is safe and that was you have seen in the photo was legal under Ohio Law."
"Kent State was recently ranked the safest big college campus in Ohio and the 25th safest in the country," the statement said.
The university, which is in Ohio, prohibits the possession of deadly weapons by students, faculty and staff – however, visitors are allowed to carry guns into the campus grounds because it is considered a public facility.
