NEW YORK - The state of Alabama decided to let a gun store owner keep a personalized license plate that represents an obscene slur against President Joe Biden, and apologized for trying to take it away.
Nathan Kirk, whose plate includes the acronym "LGBF JB" — a reference to a political chant followed by a vulgar insult of Biden — said he received a letter from the Alabama Department of Revenue stating he can continue using the plate on his pickup truck.
While the plate includes the initials of an obscene phrase commonly used by supporters of former President Donald Trump to deride Biden, the Oneonta man denied that the message represents a profane word and told al.com it's just "a goofy tag."
"But the meaning behind it does seem like a victory. Not like I was just throwing a fit that somebody told me I couldn’t do something, it was the principle is what I was fighting for," he said.
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Kirk said the letters on the plate stand for "Let’s go Brandon," an anti-Biden phrase used by some opponents of the president, and "forget Joe Biden." The state can’t prove otherwise, he said.
"If one side can say their opinion," said Kirk, "why should another side feel like they can’t?"
The phrase 'Let’s go, Brandon' can be traced back to an Oct. 2 NASCAR race at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
Related: NYC protesters heckle President Biden with ‘Let’s go, Brandon'
Driver Brandon Brown had won his first Xfinity Series and was being interviewed by an NBC Sports reporter.
The crowd behind him was chanting something. The reporter suggested they were chanting "Let’s go, Brandon" for the driver. But it became clear they were saying: "F—- Joe Biden."
The phrase took off and has been picked up by conservatives as a code phrase to insult President Joe Biden.
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What does Let's go Brandon mean?
The Let’s go, Brandon meaning goes back to an October NASCAR race.
Kirk applied for the plate in the fall and received it, but the state then sent a letter in February saying registration wouldn't be renewed because of its meaning.
"The department does not allow the ‘F-word,’ or any acronym for such, on a personalized license plate. That is the department’s only issue with this plate," said spokesman Frank Miles.
The reversal came after the tag became a topic on social media and right-wing media outlets. Following the national attention, Kirk told al.com he received another letter from the department stating that he could keep the license plate.
"The Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division, has determined the above referenced license plate will not be recalled," said the letter, dated March 9. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."
Kirk operates a gun store in rural north Alabama that is using images of the license plate in promotions on social media. He sells hand-made replicas of the plate on Etsy for $23.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.