Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) has responded to backlash over a 2021 photo showing the congressman, his wife and children holding guns in front of a Christmas tree.
The photo went viral on social media Monday after the new congressman offered his “thoughts and prayers” to the families of three children and three adults who were shot and killed at The Covenant School, a Nashville private school in his district.
“Why would I regret a photo with my family exercising my right to bear arms?” he reportedly replied.
Amid the uproar over Ogles’ statement and the photo on Monday, the 2021 post disappeared from Ogles’ social media. A spokesman for the congressman did not return HuffPost’s request for comment on why it was removed.
Thousands of social media users shared the image, including prominent gun control advocates Fred Guttenberg and Shannon Watts and lawmakers including Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) and Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio).
A 28-year-old was killed by police after the fatal shooting of three 9-year-old students and three adults at The Covenant School. Authorities said the shooter was armed with a rifle, an assault rifle-style pistol and a handgun, and had legally purchased seven firearms in the years before the attack.
Ogles, a former mayor of Maury County, Tennessee, boasted in his House bio that he was recognized as “the most conservative mayor in Tennessee.” She was exposed in February for embellishing parts of her résumé during her congressional campaign, including her college degree and alleged work fighting international sex trafficking.