A Chinese student was denied entry to the US when he arrived at Detroit Metro Airport with a bulletproof vest in his luggage — prompting Chinese social media users to come to his defense given the recent spate of gun violence in the US, according to a report.

While going through security checks at the airport on Aug. 27, the unidentified student declared to customs officers that he had packed body armor in his luggage, prompting them to take him to a back room and search his belongings, according to the Chinese-language World Journal.

The student told authorities the vest was for personal use and that he harbored no ill intentions. He returned to China, according to Shanghaiist.

According to the US Customs and Border Protection website, there are no restrictions on importing “soft body armor” to the US, although it’s ultimately up to officials whether an item is permitted to be carried through a security checkpoint.

Chinese social media users flocked to the student’s defense.

“Americans get to have guns but we don’t get to have body armor,” one user posted on Weibo, Shanghaiist reported.

“All foreigners who come to China with face masks should be repatriated,” said another.

The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism in June cautioned its citizens about traveling to the US, citing gun violence and robberies.

Uruguay and Venezuela issued similar notices following back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, earlier this month.