LAST month, 22-year-old gun enthusiast Kaitlin Bennett went viral after carrying a rifle through her university campus.

The woman had studied biology at Kent State University in Ohio in the US, but had disagreed with a rule banning guns from the school.

So the day after graduating, she posed for a photo at the university with her beloved AR-10 slung over her shoulders, and with a mortar board with the words “Come and Take It”.

The photo immediately went viral after Ms Bennett shared the provocative snap on Twitter, reigniting the gun control debate in the divided country.

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But over the weekend Ms Bennett took her fight for gun rights a step further after issuing a bizarre challenge to David Hogg, an 18-year-old survivor of the bloody Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting which left 17 students and teachers dead and injured another 17 on Valentine’s Day.

Along with fellow survivor Emma González, Mr Hogg emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of the gun control movement, which gained traction across the US following the slaughter, sparking a series of protests.

media_camera This is the photo that made Kaitlin Bennett a social media star. Picture: Twitter

But on Sunday — the day of Mr Hogg’s high school graduation — Ms Bennett sent the boy a chilling message on Twitter.

“I have a challenge for you @davidhogg111,” Ms Bennett tweeted

“Let’s arm wrestle. If I win, we get to keep the 2nd amendment. If you win, we turn in our guns. Deal?”

Mr Hogg has so far ignored the tweet — but that hasn’t stopped Ms Bennett from repeatedly harassing and insulting him online.

She followed that initial tweet with a photo of the teen, with the words: “It’s all right guys, the 2nd amendment is safe”.

Later that day, she was at it again, tweeting: “Still waiting on @davidhogg111 to accept my arm wrestle challenge. C’mon twig arms, you win you take our guns, I win we keep the 2nd amendment.”

media_camera Ms Bennett has repeatedly attacked shooting survivor David Hogg. Picture: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

And on Tuesday, she again referred to him as “twig arms” online while spruiking her upcoming appearance on NRA TV — a network run by the notorious, pro-gun National Rifle Association.

Catch me on @NRATV this morning talking about my challenge to @davidhogg111 to arm wrestle over the fate of the 2nd amendment. Think twig arms will tune in? pic.twitter.com/yo7Y1qBED1 — Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) June 5, 2018

While Ms Bennett has enjoyed a fair amount of support from fellow gun-lovers, she’s also been slammed by those in favour of gun reform, who have labelled her “insane”, “entitled” and “an embarrassment”.

Kaitlin Bennett is what's wrong with this world. Radical and no fact checking. Just spewing garbage and bullying school shooting survivors. Who the heck raised such an entitled brat? — Alex Currie (@chickencurrie3) June 7, 2018

David Hogg Gets INSANE Challenge from Kent State's Kaitlin Bennett https://t.co/Ws1KEjErAu via @KeepBear — Curtis Thompson (@CurtisThompson5) June 6, 2018

It’s tweets like this that show just how stupid the gun crowd is. We don’t to repeal the second amendment. We just want common-sense gun laws. Kaitlin Bennett is an embarrassment. https://t.co/FzW5hD6cVX — Ravi Meibalane (@RKMeibalane) June 7, 2018

The latest war of words between pro and anti-gun supporters comes as the country grapples with what has already been a horror year for gun violence in America.

Just three months on from Stoneman Douglas, teen shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis killed 10 people, including nine students and one teacher, when he opened fire at Santa Fe High School in Texas in May.

According to the Mass Shooting Tracker, an online tool which charts the country’s gun massacres, there have been 148 mass shootings in the country this year alone, with more than 200 people killed.

And according to CNN, there has been an average of more than one school shooting per week in America in 2018.

alexis.carey@news.com.au

Originally published as ‘Insane’ taunt to shooting survivor