Tennessee Authorities Drop Charge Against Man Over Meme Posted After Kirk’s Assassination

A local sheriff said the meme appeared to violate a new state law against mass threats made on social media.
Tennessee Authorities Drop Charge Against Man Over Meme Posted After Kirk’s Assassination
The Facebook and Instagram apps on the screen of an iPhone in San Anselmo, Calif., on Oct. 4, 2021. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
|Updated:
0:00

Tennessee authorities have dropped a felony charge against a man who posted a meme after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was killed that local authorities say violated the state’s new mass violence law.

Larry Bushart, 61, a former law enforcement officer and active user of social media, was arrested on Sept. 21 after refusing to take down a meme he posted on a community page the day after Kirk was assassinated in Utah.

Jill McLaughlin
Jill McLaughlin
Author
Jill McLaughlin is an award-winning journalist covering politics, environment, and statewide issues. She has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Oregon, Nevada, and New Mexico. Jill was born in Yosemite National Park and enjoys the majestic outdoors, traveling, golfing, and hiking.