In June 2021, Keene was tricked into giving a high school graduation speech defending gun rights in front of 3,044 empty chairs — one for each student who might have graduated in 2021 had they not been a victim of gun violence. The stunt was organized by gun-safety group Change the Ref, which was founded by the parents of a student killed in the Parkland, Florida, massacre. The group released a video of the stunt that went viral and ends by asking viewers to sign a petition pushing for universal background checks.