The Nevada DMV called a man's 'GOBK2CA' joke license plate inappropriate and recalled it after it went viral

• The Nevada DMV recalled a man's "GOBK2CA" license plate.
• Adam Steelmon said he has had the plate for more than twenty years without issue.

A Nevada man's joke license plate telling fellow drivers to "go back to California" was recalled by the state's department of motor vehicles after it went viral on social media.

The state recalled the license plate in May after the DMV received a complaint about it, a DMV spokesperson told Insider.

Eli Rohl, a spokesperson for the Nevada DMV, said in an email that the plate was in violation of a section of the Nevada Administrative Code that bans making defamatory statements.

"In this case, the defamed group is Californians. Mr. Steelmon's plate is not unique in this; we regularly turn down plates that share the same messages," Rohl wrote in the email. "If we've been rejecting applications for other 'back to California' plates, then it's not an equal application of the law to receive a complaint about this plate and neglect to take action on it."

Adam Steelmon told the local ABC affiliate KOLO he has had the license plate on his car for twenty years and never had issues from the state until recently.

"Local law enforcement have pulled me over to tell me they liked my license plate," Steelmon said. "Texas has pulled me over. In 20 years, I've had one person say well I don't think your license plates are very appropriate."

Steelmon plans to appeal the decision before an Administrative Law Judge who will determine whether or not to uphold the recall, Rohl said in the email.

"If he doesn't like the AL judge's decision, he can appeal it through the District court all the way through the Nevada Supreme Court," Rohl wrote.