A private university in North Carolina (and this embarrassed reporter’s alma mater) forced a student to remove a National Rifle Association (NRA) flag from his dorm window in late September.

“The flag first appeared last week, causing one freshman in Historic Neighborhood to take action,” according to Elon University’s news network. “The student took a photo of the flag and showed it to her Resident Assistant, who told her she would make sure it was taken down as both a fire hazard and an offensive symbol on campus.”

The school caved to the offended student’s demands, but the town’s fire chief, Alva Sizemore, disputed whether the flag was actually a “fire hazard,” raising the question of whether that explanation was just a pretext provided by the university to avoid a social justice showdown.

Trending: Stanford University Babies Demand “Removal” of College Republicans from Campus

“We’ve never had an issue with a flag outside a window before,” Sizemore said. “Typically, we would have issues on the inside, like maybe they were hanging the flag inside, hanging it down from the ceiling.”

The student news network quoted the offended student who complained to the the university:

“In light of current events going on, the NRA is not something that should be present in a celebratory light. They need to grow up and realize that what you do has effects on people.”

The NRA fired back at the university.

“Young people need to know that they can support the Second Amendment and not be harassed or intimidated,” said spokeswoman Catherine Mortenson. “As a private institution, Elon certainly has the right to discriminate like this. We only ask that they be honest and upfront with their students about their anti-gun bias.”

The school is no stranger to social justice controversy.

In January, Wired ran a story about Computer Science professor Megan Squire, who created a data mining tool and uses the tool in conjunction with the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center to dox “white supremacists.” Squire is still employed by the university.

Elon, which does not readily list a media contact online or have an answering service, could not be reached for comment.