14 Year Old Faces Year In Jail For Wearing T-Shirt

Jared Marcum, a 14-year-old middle school student who was arrested and suspended from school after refusing to take off a National Rifle Association shirt, is now facing up to a year in jail.

A couple months ago, Marcum showed up in a t-shirt sporting the NRA logo, a picture of a gun and the slogan "Protect your right." He was asked several times by school officials to remove the the shirt, but he kept it on, saying he was not violating the school’s dress code and was exercising his First Amendment rights.

He appeared in court last week and faces a $500 fine and up to a year in jail.

Reportedly, Jared kept talking over police officers while they were trying to talk to him during the incident back in April, preventing them from doing their job and making it difficult on them.

Now, the whole issue seems to be more about his behavior and unwillingness to just take off the shirt than what it actually said. His lawyer said:

We at this point believe that Jared acted as mature as a 14-year-old child can act with the pressure that was put on him.

The school policy states: “If in the judgment of the administration, a student is dressed inappropriately, the student will be required to change clothes or cover up inappropriate clothing before returning to classes.” Kids have since worn similar shirts to support Marcum without incident.

What do you think?