A US Congressman Posted This Family Photo With Guns & The Internet Is Not Holding Back
He wrote, "Santa, please bring ammo," just days after a school shooting.
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U.S.
Congressman Thomas Massie is facing criticism after posting a "Christmas" photo of himself and his family posing with guns — just days after multiple teenagers were killed in a school shooting in Michigan.
On Saturday, December 4, Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky shared the image via Twitter and added the caption, "Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo."
The picture shows Massie alongside what appears to be his wife and children, all smiling at the camera while holding an assortment of guns.
By Sunday, the post had received a considerable amount of backlash, with Twitter users from all over the world calling out the timing of the social media post.
"Mr. Massie, have you no shame?" asked one person, including photos of the four victims of Tuesday's shooting at an Oxford, Michigan high school.
"Here’s a photo. It’s my home town in mourning. I live in Oxford Michigan," another added.
On November 30, 2021, a 15-year-old student allegedly carried out
the deadliest U.S. school shooting of 2021. Four teenage students were killed and seven others, including a teacher, were hurt. The suspect and his parents have been arrested in connection with the shooting.
A number of survivors of shootings, as well as families of victims, responded to the congressman’s post, with some sharing photos of the loved ones they have lost.
"Since we are sharing family photos, here are mine," wrote one person. "One is the last photo that I ever took of Jaime, the other is where she is buried because of the Parkland school shooting."
Another person said, "This is my son Christian, who was killed by a gun on 9/5/21. Perhaps you can reflect on the meaning of the Christmas season and find empathy in your heart for families like mine that will have an empty place in our Christmas photo due to senseless gun violence."
Criticizing the American politician, somebody else wrote, "The bar was on the floor, but somehow you managed to tunnel underneath it."
Massie responded to this message to say, "The BAR is under the couch," and added the hashtag "#sassywithmassie."
Democratic U.S. Representative John Yarmuth, also from Kentucky, responded to the image as well, writing, "I promise not everyone in Kentucky is an insensitive asshole."
He continued, "I’m old enough to remember Republicans screaming that it was insensitive to try to protect people from gun violence after a tragedy."