The National Rifle Association (NRA) was harshly criticized after wishing everyone "all the guns and ammo" in a tone-deaf Christmas message that prompted critics to call out the gun advocacy organization after yet another year of senseless gun violence.
The Gun Violence Archive counted at least 635 mass shootings so far this year, through mid-December.
But that statistic was far from the NRA's mind when it tweeted:
"Merry Christmas from the NRA—America's longest-standing civil rights organization. We hope Santa brought you all the guns and ammo."
You can see the NRA's tweet below.
\u201cMerry Christmas from the NRA \u2014 America\u2019s longest-standing civil rights organization. \n\nWe hope Santa brought you all the guns and ammo. \ud83c\udf85\ud83c\udffc\ud83c\udf84\ud83c\udf81\u201d— NRA (@NRA) 1671974442
This year alone the NRA found itself at the center of an even more impassioned push for comprehensive gun control measures after numerous high-profile mass shootings.
These include one at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas; another in Buffalo, New York involving a White supremacist who targeted Black staff members and customers at a supermarket; and one at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado that prompted several survivors to testify about gun violence and hate crimes before members of Congress.
People quickly decried the tweet's insensitivity, and many criticized the organization for its relentless campaign to keep deadly weapons largely accessible to wide swaths of the American public.
\u201cKillers of children right across America\nSo proud of themselves\u201d— Dr Sally \ud83d\udc28\ud83d\udc28 (@Dr Sally \ud83d\udc28\ud83d\udc28) 1672107675
\u201cHow dare the NRA hope Santa brought guns/ammo for Christmas or say they are a civil rights organization?\n\nTheir main purpose is to make sure the gunmakers make bigger profits and GOP MOC get rich!\n\n#CommonSenseGunLaws are needed to keep Americans safe!\n\n#FreshResists #ONEV1\u201d— Feisty is proud to be a Democrat! (@Feisty is proud to be a Democrat!) 1672069784
\u201cMerry Mass Shooting Season to you too\n\nNow get out there and shoot something\n\n#GunsKill\u201d— \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddffThe Antipodean (@\ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddffThe Antipodean) 1672027422
\u201cCelebrate peace and good will to all men by accidentally shooting a couple of them after one too many eggnogs. Yee haw.\u201d— John Cal McCormick (@John Cal McCormick) 1672044780
\u201cCivil Rights Organization? Hardly. Agents of Murder and Chaos. That is the @NRA\u201d— Scotty Burberry\u2019s Husband (@Scotty Burberry\u2019s Husband) 1672066462
\u201cWhen you think Christmas, you think school shooting-enthusiasts.\u201d— Jesse Ferguson (@Jesse Ferguson) 1672004879
\u201cThe NRA says what about the school massacres? Nothing? Not our fault or something like that?\u201d— also: sandi89701936@mastodon.world & post.news (@also: sandi89701936@mastodon.world & post.news) 1672018810
\u201c@NRA what about the civil rights of the millions of Americans murdered through your promotion of easy access to firearms?\nDo you care about the lives of children murdered at school? \n#hypocrisyisthyname\n@tedcruz @RepMTG \n#GunControlNow\u201d— Peter Doyle \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa (@Peter Doyle \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa) 1672023425
\u201cThe Christmas messsge from the NRA: \u201cLet\u2019s shoot each other for the holidays.\u201d\u201d— Terry Blount (@Terry Blount) 1672025750
The NRA has been criticized for tone-deaf social media posts before.
For instance, the organization angered critics over the summer after its official Twitter account posted a tweet commemorating Independence Day, declaring that the "only reason" Americans are "celebrating Independence Day is because citizens were armed."
That tweet came in the wake of a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, after a lone gunman opened fire on a July 4 parade procession, killing six people and injuring 36 others.
The tweet remained up even while Highland Park residents sheltered in place during the manhunt for the shooter.
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The Washington Post