West Virginia eighth grader Jared Marcum was briefly jailed, then suspended from Logan Middle School Thursday for wearing a pro-NRA t-shirt.
The shirt bore the National Rifle Association's logo and an image of a firearm-this, according to the middle school, violates the school's dress code, which does not allow profanity, discrimination, violence, or sexually suggestive content on clothing.
14 year-old Jared maintained that the decision violates his First Amendment right to free speech and his Second Amendment right to bear arms.
"What they're doing is trying to take away my rights, my freedom of speech and my Second Amendment," he told WOWK-TV.
According to stepfather Allen Lardieri, Jared was in the school's cafeteria, waiting in line when a teacher told him to get rid of the shirt, or else flip it inside out.
Jared refused, telling the teacher it was wrong. He was immediately sent to the principal's office, where police were called to aid in handling the situation.
The teen found the situation infuriating.
"When the police came, I was still talking and telling them that this was wrong, that they cannot do this, it's not against any school policy. The officer, her told me to sit down and be quiet. I said, 'No, I'm exercising my right to free speech.' I said it calmly," he said.
According to AP, Jared Marcum has been charged with disrupting the educational process and obstructing an officer.
Now, Jared wants to make his story publicly known, and already has gained somewhat of a following. He says he has received phone calls, Facebook wall posts, and contact across the country from supporters.
"People are saying that I did the right thing, that they're proud," he told WOWK.
The same day Jared was arrested and suspended, Congress defeated a proposal for stricter gun laws and background checks for purchase of a weapon.
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