The caption read: 'Santa, please bring ammo'
Republican congressman Thomas Massie has caused social media outrage after posting a Christmas photo of his family posing with guns just days after the deadliest school shooting in America since 2018.
Posting to Twitter on Saturday November 4, Kentucky congressman Massie and his family of six can be seen standing in front of their Christmas tree, each holding a firearm with beaming smiles plastered across their faces.
Meanwhile, Massie captioned the picture with the line: "Merry Christmas. ps. Santa, please bring ammo."
https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1467197523127422979?s=20
As reported in
multiple outlets, the image comes just four days since suspected teenage gunman Ethan Crumbley opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan on Tuesday November 30.
15-year-old Crumbley is accused of killing four people using a weapon that was supposedly bought for him on Black Friday as an early Christmas present by his parents James and Jennifer Crumbley. Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and Justin Shilling, 17, are among those who died in the attack, with several others left injured.
At the time of writing, Crumbley has been charged as an adult on four charges of first-degree murder and one count of terrorism, while his parents were arraigned on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
Massie's 'Christmas card' photo has caused outrage amongst gun control activists and gun owners alike, with many pointing out how insensitive and tasteless the image - and its timing - are.
"Dear World…Tom Massie does NOT represent most Americans!!" posted on user beneath the photograph.
"What are you all so afraid of?" asked another.
The image has also led the parents of previous school shooting victims to step forward and share their thoughts. Manuel Oliver, father of Joaquin Oliver who died in the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland told
CNN that the picture should help Americans think twice about who they elect to power.
"That is a huge part of the problem. We have some elected leaders like this one,” he told the station.
“I don’t know if he’s trying to be ironic, funny or what… This is also something that should teach us who we should elect and not.”
Another parent of the same 2018 school shooting - Fred Guttenberg - went one step further and shared his own emotional post which included an image of his daughter Jamie who died in the Parkland attack alongside a picture of her gravestone.
https://twitter.com/fred_guttenberg/status/1467222370658177031?s=20
The post read: "@RepThomasMassie, since we are sharing family photos, here are mine. One is the last photo that I ever took of Jaime, the other is where she is buried because of the Parkland school shooting.
"The Michigan school shooter and his family used to take photos like yours as well."
Just last week, Massie celebrated the aquittal of youth Kyle Rittenhouse after he was cleared of his controversial homicide trial in which he shot and killed two men before injuring a third.
Massie was also one of just 21 US congressmen who voted against the decision to give the Congressional Gold Medal to police officials who protected the Capitol building from Donald Trump supporters on January 6.
Related links:
