FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Charlie Kirk, a gun rights advocate 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 Kyle Kashuv, a conservative student who has met with President Donald 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."
Kashuv, contacted Thursday by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, said, "We will hold the speech off campus if needed." He declined to elaborate.
Kirk drew protests at the University of Central Florida when he spoke Tuesday night, as well as other campuses.
Turning Point, USA has been accused of funneling money into student government elections while maintaining secrecy about its funding and donors, possibly violating campaign finance laws, according to a story in December by The New Yorker.
The group also maintains a "Professor Watchlist," a list of dozens of college professors who "discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom."
