【I Am a Plaything】

This story was updated Wednesday morning after Tuten walked back her initial comments via Facebook. Our original story follows; the update is I Am a Playthingat the bottom.

When middle and high school students in Oakland, California, recently took a knee while playing the national anthem before a Major League Baseball game, they were met with cheers.

When members of the East Carolina University marching band did the same before a football game Saturday, the home fans booed.

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And that was just the beginning.

SEE ALSO: 'Courageous' teens who protested while playing national anthem are part of 50 years of history

In perhaps the most extreme case of backlash, a East Carolina marketing professor reportedly plans to carry her firearm on campus -- a counter-protest, she said in a letter to the chancellor, that exercises her Second Amendment rights in the same way band members who knelt were allowed to exercise their First Amendment rights.

But more on that in a second. Let's back up first.

"Several members" of the East Carolina band took a knee while playing the national anthem before Saturday's home game against Central Florida, the Orlando Sentinelreported this weekend.

That gesture follows a trend started by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and mistreatment toward minorities in the United States. Athletes across the country and spanning multiple sports have since followed suit, as did the Oakland youth band at an A's game last month.

But college football fans in Greenville, North Carolina, weren't pleased when the East Carolina band members did the same, according to the Sentinel, which reported "loud boos" in response to the musicians' peaceful protest.

Boos and jeers also rained down upon the band's halftime performance, as seen in this video clip.

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In response to Saturday's protest, a local ESPN Radio affiliate said this week that it will no longer broadcast East Carolina's football game this coming Saturday against South Florida. The station, which carries some ESPN Radio programming but also determines its own local coverage, released a statement saying it will skip this Saturday's game in retaliation but will continue broadcasting East Carolina games for the rest of the season thereafter.

Administrators from the university's music department said further protests by band members "will not be tolerated." But chancellor Cecil Staton released a statement defending their protest as "part of the free exchange of ideas on a university campus."

"While we acknowledge and understand the disappointment felt by many Pirate fans in response to the events at the beginning of today's football game, we urge all Pirate students, supporters and participants to act with respect for each other's views," Staton's statement continued.

That's quite the kerfuffle for the North Carolina campus with an enrollment of more than 28,000 students. But it all pales in comparison to what Tracy Tuten apparently has in store following the chancellor's response to the musicians' protest.

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The East Carolina marketing professor plans to open-carry her firearm on campus as a counter-protest of sorts, she told local news station WNCT.

"Since the band members can act on the first amendment without regard to university rules, I too want to act on my second amendment rights to bear arms," Tuten wrote in an email to Staton, the school chancellor. The email was also acquired by WNCT, which says Tuten contacted them after emailing Staton.

"Even though I was stalked for more than a year by a student, I have respected the university guidelines for bearing arms," Tuten wrote to Staton.

Tuten reportedly told WNCT she plans to begin open-carrying on campus this Wednesday. So, to recap: It appears her response to the school allowing a group of students to peacefully protest is to bring a gun onto a college campus.

Mashableleft Tuten a voicemail Tuesday in hopes of learning more, but at the time of this writing had yet to hear back from the professor of marketing.

Tuten's email to Staton recounts meeting him in the stands during Saturday's football game and expresses disappointment that "not only did you know about the band members' plan but ... you endorsed and supported it."

She then writes of their meeting:

What I want you to know now is that 1) you had an opportunity to engage a Pirate for life who really understands branding, 2) you had an opportunity to increase a commitment for funds but lost it, and 3) you now have an opportunity to support all of our constitutional rights.

"I had high hopes that you would be the one to drive our brand forward," Tuten writes to Staton.

Sometimes, it seems, a branding expert just has take matters into their own hands.

An ECU football helmet as seen last Saturday. Credit: Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Intent aside, just what Tuten might be able to accomplish isn't so clear.

Governor Pat McCrory in 2013 signed House Bill 937, which amended state firearm laws to allow gun owners with legal permits to carry concealed weapons in bars and restaurants.

But according to guidelines posted on the East Carolina University website, permitted firearm owners may bring a weapon on campus only if it "is a handgun, is in a closed compartment or container within the person's locked vehicle, and the vehicle is in a parking area that is owned or leased by the University."

Furthermore, those guidelines say, "a person may unlock the vehicle to enter or exit the vehicle, provided the handgun remains in the closed compartment at all times and the vehicle is locked immediately following the entrance or exit."

By that reading, the most Tuten could do under state law is bring a gun on campus -- but keep it locked in a container within her car. Which ... seems to defeat the purpose.

Mashablehas contacted the East Carolina University Police Department for further comment and clarification, but has yet to hear back. And, like we said, we've also contacted Tuten to fill out her side of the story but have yet to hear back from her as well.

In any event, there's your update from the Tar Heel State. Good to see enlightened discourse is alive and well.

UPDATE Oct. 5:Tuten took to her Facebook page early Friday morning to amend her previous stance and say that she "does not intend to commit any felonies. I want to shine a light on the hypocrisy of supporting first amendment rights but not second amendment rights. All of our rights are important."

She continues: "At this time, I am researching what form of demonstration will fall within the law and effectively communicate our message. Thanks again for your support."