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On December 4, US congressman from Kentucky, Thomas Massie, shared a Christmas card photo featuring himself and his family on Twitter. The picture showcased him, his wife, and their five children posing with assault rifles in front of a Christmas tree.
The Republican congressman Thomas Massie also wrote in the caption,
“Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo.”
Several people deemed the photo insensitive and pointed out that it promoted the wrong message just days after the Michigan school shooting. The massacre caused the demise of four students and injured eight others, including a teacher. The victims were under eighteen, ranging from 14 and 17.
Here’s how people reacted to the ‘insensitive’ photo posted by Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie
Soon after the picture was posted, the reply section was filled with people condemning the photo, evidently supporting gun ownership. Several comments pointed out the inconsiderateness of the snap after the USA has been plagued with recent school shootings and other instances of gun violence.
Renowned gun violence activist Fred Guttenberg shared his daughter Jaime’s photo alongside her grave in the reply. In Florida, Jaime Guttenberg was 14-year-old when she was killed during the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018.
Fred Guttenberg also drew comparisons between the type of photos posted by Thomas Massie and the photos posted by the Michigan school shooter’s family. He wrote,
“@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.”
Similarly, Arizona native Bruce Petillo shared the picture of his late 15-year-old son, Christian, who was killed in an incident of gun violence. Christian was murdered on September 5, 2021, in Gilbert, Arizona.
Bruce wrote,
“@RepThomasMassie, 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.”
Meanwhile, a few other replies also drew a comparison between Thomas Massie’s family photo and the pictures of terrorist organizations.
