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House Republican posts photo of his family holding guns days after Michigan school shooting

"Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo," tweeted Rep. Thomas Massie, R-K.Y.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., walks down the House steps on Sept. 17, 2020.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., walks down the House steps on Sept. 17, 2020.Caroline Brehman / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images file

WASHINGTON — Rep. Thomas Massie, R-K.Y., is facing backlash from Democrats after he posted a Christmas photo of his family smiling and posing with an assortment of guns just days after four teenagers were killed in a shooting at a Michigan high school.

"Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo," Massie wrote Saturday on Twitter.

A 15-year-old boy was charged Tuesday in the shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit, which killed four people and seriously wounded seven others. Investigators allege that the suspect began shooting after he left a bathroom and that he remained in the school's hallway until he was detained.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said last week that 18 live, unfired rounds were found after the boy was detained. Police found seven in his pocket, and 11 more were discovered later in a magazine.

Rep. John Yarmuth, D-K.Y., who chairs the Budget Committee, condemned Massie's post.

"I’m old enough to remember Republicans screaming that it was insensitive to try to protect people from gun violence after a tragedy," Yarmuth wrote on Twitter, referring to previous calls for tougher gun control laws.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., tweeted: “I’m pro second amendment, but this isn’t supporting right to keep and bear arms, this is a gun fetish.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who has recently made headlines for her Islamophobic comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., appeared to support Massie's post.

"That's my kind of Christmas card!" she tweeted.

Several other Democrats condemned the post, including Reps. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Haley Stevens of Michigan, who said the post was a "sickness."

"Aren’t we in the season of peace and goodwill? What a repulsive, violent message especially in a week when we lost 4 students to gun violence in Michigan. Instead of wishing for ammo, how about working for gun safety so all our kids can be home for the holidays?" Clark tweeted.