Gun rights advocate may speak at Stoneman Douglas

Charlie Kirk, a gun rights activist whose appearances on college campuses have drawn protests, says he has agreed to speak at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High.

Kirk, who founded the conservative student group Turning Point, USA, tweeted that he was invited by students at the Parkland school, which was the site of a Feb. 14 shooting that left 17 dead.

He said he hopes to speak there within the next two weeks.

“I excitedly accept and look forward to discussing our right to bear arms in front of a captive student audience,” he wrote. “This is of course unless I get blocked by the administration.”

It’s unclear whether the appearance has been cleared by the school district, which has restricted who can visit the school.

District officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The invitation appears to be at the request of student Kyle Kashuv, a conservative student who has met with President Trump, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and others.

Kashuv said on Twitter that students are threatening to protest Kirk’s appearance. He said the Second Amendment “isn’t the only amendment under attack. Dialog is how we fix issues, not by being scared of ideas.”

In addition to complaints by students, the mother of Carmen Schentrup asked Kirk to speak somewhere other than Stoneman Douglas.

“As a mother of one of the murdered victims at MSD, I urge you to reconsider holding your meeting at another location,” April Schentrup asked Kirk on Twitter. “Please do not disrespect our situation. We struggle enough each day as it is.”