The NRA t-shirt worn by Haley Bullwinkle was not a hit with officials at her school, landing her in the principal’s office.
Bullwinkle wore the shirt, which has the group’s name and says that it has been “Protecting America’s Traditions Since 1871,” last month at Canyon High School in Anaheim Hills, California.
She was called into the principal’s office and told the shirt violated the school’s dress code, which forbids offensive, violent, or divisive clothing, reported CBS.
“They were treating me like I was a criminal,” she said. “I was not allowed to wear that at school because it promoted gun violence.”
The shirt was given to Bullwinkle by her father when he became a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association, a group that promotes owning guns.
Bullwinkle’s father emailed the school to find out why the shirt wasn’t allowed.
“The shirt had a gun on it, which is not allowed by school police. It’s protocol to have students change when they’re in violation of the dress code,” said Principal Kimberly Fricker in an email in response.
Bullwinkle’s father has retained an attorney in the case, and wants to know how the school defines violence.
“I think that if you consider the hunter, the image of the hunter to be offensive, certainly there are groups that would consider the Comanche Indian chief to be offensive,” he said.
