Kentucky Congressman criticized for tweeting Christmas photo of family with guns

KENTUCKY (WXIX) - A Republican congressman from Kentucky is coming under fire from some of his colleagues after posting a Christmas photo of his family smiling and posing with an assortment of guns - just days after four teens were killed and seven others were hurt in a Michigan school shooting.

“Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky wrote Saturday on Twitter.

A 15-year-old boy was charged with murder and terrorism at Oxford High School, about 30 miles north of Detroit. Prosecutors have said the shooting was premeditated, based on a “mountain of digital evidence” against Ethan Crumbley.

Eighteen live, unfired rounds were found after the boy was detained, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. Police found seven in his pocket, and 11 more were discovered later in a magazine.

A prosecutor has filed involuntary manslaughter charges against his parents, saying they failed to intervene on the day of the tragedy despite being confronted with a drawing and chilling message — “blood everywhere” — that was found at the boy’s desk.

Massie’s post drew bipartisan condemnation from Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois, Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Haley Stevens of Michigan, who called the post a “sickness.”

Democratic U.S. Representative John Yarmuth, who chairs the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee, condemned his fellow Kentuckian’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, apparently referring to calls for gun control laws.

Clark tweeted: “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?”

Not everyone was offended by Massie’s post.

More than 79,000 Twitter users “liked” his tweet as of Monday morning.

It has been retweeted more than 63,000 times and drawn more than 91,000 comments so far.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, clearly supported it, tweeting: “That’s my kind of Christmas card!”

On Monday, Massie tweeted out a poll, asking “Which of these do liberals hate most?”

The choices: “Guns,” “Christmas,” “Family” and “Freedom.”

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