December 09, 2021 10:06 AM UTC

Throwback Thursday: Armed Family Photos, A Colorado GOP Tradition

• 5 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

A holiday photo posted by hard-right Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has provoked plenty of discussion in recent days:

Merry Christmas! 🎄
ps. Santa, please bring ammo. 🎁 pic.twitter.com/NVawULhCNr

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 4, 2021

Rep. Massie himself appears to be holding an M-60 machine gun, which although (believe it or not) not totally illegal are sufficiently difficult and expensive to obtain that you’ve got to really be into guns to possess one. Posting this photo just a few days after another mass school shooting in which the teen shooter obtained the weapon from his parents was not considered appropriate from a sitting member of Congress, and Massie endured a round of negative national press that no doubt nonetheless thrilled him.

As the controversy grew, Colorado freshman Republican fly to the turd of every controversy Rep. Lauren Boebert could not wait to share the spotlight with Rep. Massie–and as we know, Boebert has her own brood of kids along with piles of guns laying around! So naturally:

The Boeberts have your six, @RepThomasMassie!

(No spare ammo for you, though) pic.twitter.com/EnDYuXaHDF

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) December 8, 2021

Also…a Raiders shirt? Really?

But with all these Republicans earning edgy press from letting their kids play with guns in the face of headlines that should inspire some restraint, we’d be remiss if we didn’t note for the record that the family armed to the teeth photo goes back years in Colorado politics–yes, all the way back to the Old West, but we’re talking vintage 2013:

That’s former Republican Colorado Sen. Greg Brophy’s well-armed posse! Unfortunately for Brophy, even though the gun Brophy is holding is bigger than he is, the run for governor that followed this charming family photo in 2014 was not successful.

Politically this has…narrow appeal. But it’s a thing Republicans do like peacocks showing their plumage.

We’d say ignore it, but you can’t really do that unless you’re well out of range.