Then again, this is Massachusetts.

TAUNTON (CBS) – Two high school students in Taunton have been suspended after they posted a photo of themselves holding Airsoft rifles. Thousands of people have leapt to their defense online, but their school isn’t backing down.

The Airsoft rifles look dangerous, but they shoot plastic pellets. Tito Velez, 15, often competes with a team as a hobby.

Last Friday, Tito and his girlfriend Jamie Pereira posed with the Airsoft rifles before the Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical School homecoming dance. The post got them suspended from school.

“This isn’t dangerous, you can’t kill someone with it,” Tito said Tuesday. “We didn’t shoot anyone; we were pointing them at the floor.”

“I understand but I think they took this way too far,” Jamie said. “Suspending us for 10 days and possible expulsion is way too much.”