A provocative family photo with weapons in front of the Christmas tree... and responding to it with painful pictures

The Republican Congressman, Thomas Massey, sparked controversy and a lot of criticism, after posting a picture of him and his family on Twitter, carrying weapons in front of a Christmas tree, just days after four teenagers were killed in a school shooting in Michigan .

In the accompanying tweet, the Kentucky representative posted a photo of his family members holding a different-style rifle around the Christmas tree, writing, "Merry Christmas! We're asking Santa (Santa Claus) to bring the ammo."

The publication sparked mixed reactions, especially given its timing, which is days after the bloody Michigan accident.

In a quick response, Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was one of 17 people who died in a high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, tweeted, "Since we're sharing family photos, here's my picture."

Gutenberg published two photos, "one of which is the last photo I took of Jaime, and the other is where she was buried due to the Parkland school shooting."

Others described the deputy's image as representing "domestic terrorism" in the United States.

"Massy's tweet is the worst he's ever seen," Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin also died in the Parkland shooting, told CNN. We should elect him."

Democratic Representative from Kentucky, John Yarmouth, described Massey's publication as "disgraceful", and said that messages such as these sent by Republicans who support the absolute right to possess guns "roll our faces" with murders that kill the children of their victims, likening them to score them (Republicans) as a goal in the game of American football. (Touch Down).

In a tweet, Illinois Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger confirmed that he supports the right to own guns in the United States, but considered that the photo "does not support the right to own and bear guns, it is an obsession with guns."

But Massey had the support of others, with right-wing analyst Candace Owens tweeting, "Can someone explain to me how the Michigan school shooting became [Massey's] fault for posting a picture of him and his family with legal weapons."

CNN said it had tried to contact Massey and his spokesman for comment, but had not yet received a response.

On Tuesday, 4 students were killed in a shooting at Oxford High School in the US state of Michigan, and seven others were wounded.

Student Ethan Curmbley, 15, was charged as an adult with terrorism, murder, and other charges.

His parents face four counts of manslaughter in connection with the shooting in the deadliest incident at a US high school since 2018. It is also the 32nd such attack since August 1.

The death toll from the Michigan attack, which revived the debate over controlling the arms sector and school security, is the most heaviest so far in 2021, which witnessed more than 130 incidents of this kind, according to the "Everytown for Gun Safety" organization, which documents the shootings and pressures to control the sector. weapons.

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