Ohio junior high student suspended for 'liking' photo of airsoft gun on Instagram

WXIX (Fox Cincinnati) reported Friday that an Edgewood, Ohio middle school student was handed a 10-day suspension for “liking” a picture of a gun on Instagram with the caption “ready."

According to the report, the picture in question is of an airsoft gun, and according to the students’ parents, their child didn’t comment on the post but simply liked the picture.

"I liked it, scrolling down Instagram at night about 7, 8 o’clock I liked it," Zacahry Bowlin is quoted as saying. "The next morning they called me down [to the office] patted me down and checked me for weapons."

The parents of Zachary Bowlin posted a picture of the intended suspension notice which read, “The reason for the intended suspension is as follows: Liking a post on social media that indicated potential school violence.”

"I was livid, I mean, I’m sitting here thinking ‘you just suspended him for ten days for liking a picture of a gun on a social media site," father Marty Bowlin said. "He never shared, he never commented, he never made a threatening post… anything on the site, just liked it."

Since receiving the notice, the family told WXIX the school has dropped the suspension and there will be no repercussions for the child’s actions.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and a NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.