Instagram gun pose earns church school student suspension

A student at the Archbishop’s Seminary School has been suspended after posting an Instagram photo in which he appears to be holding a sub-machinegun, or airsoft replica, while classmates suggest violence against their teachers.

This newspaper was contacted by concerned parents whose children had made them aware of other students’ behaviour online in reactions to the photo of the teenager in school uniform, holding a model ARP-9-SMG, standing in the shooting position.

Parents took particular offence to the comments section underneath the photo where a fellow student appeared to be encouraging the boy to bring the airsoft gun to school.

“Now bring it to school and let’s smash the place up,” they wrote, which was met with a reply from the boy who posted the photo, singling out two specific teachers. “Two AR-15s and we f*** up [teachers' names],” in a reference to two teachers whom they should shoot. Another student commented “headshot”.

Contacted by MaltaToday, the headmaster of the Archbishop’s Seminary School Fr Mark Ellul said that it was not in the school’s remit to monitor the social media activity of students. He highlighted that the sheer number alone, over 800 students, would make it impossible.

Ellul, however, said that the school tried its best to educate students on how best to use social media “maturely.”

“Since the matter has been brought to our attention, the appropriate action will be taken, and the parents of the boys involved will be informed and asked to monitor their children’s social media,” Ellul said.

Ellul stressed that the school took these episodes “very seriously” and would seek advice from the relevant authorities before taking further action.

Airsoft guns are replica toy weapons used in airsoft sports. They are a special type of very low-power smoothbore airguns designed to shoot non-metallic spherical projectiles often colloquially referred to as “BBs”.