Wisconsin Student Sues School Over Its Decision To Ban His T-Shirts Depicting Guns

A Wisconsin student is suing his high school in federal court because he was told not to wear T-shirts depicting guns to class.

The lawsuit claims Matthew Schoenecker’s First Amendment rights were infringed upon when school officials in Markesan, in Green Lake County, banned the shirts.

A photo of the shirts provided to WBAY-TV shows one shirt says “Celebrate Diversity” and shows a wide range of firearms above the words. Another spells out “LOVE” with guns, knives and a grenade.

Nik Clark is president of Wisconsin Carry, the gun advocacy group funding Schoenecker’s legal challenge. He said the school’s response to the freshman’s shirts is different from its response to students who protested after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

“The students that wanted to walk out of class were given the opportunity to go to the gymnasium to have their walkout protest, and that was sanctioned,” Clark said. “And yet here, a student who’s going about his daily business, carrying on with his classwork, he was told he couldn’t wear a shirt that was supportive of guns.”

Officials from the Markesan School District didn’t reply to a request for comment.