Ocasio-Cortez criticizes Boebert Christmas tree and guns photo

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized Rep. Lauren Boebert on Wednesday after the Colorado Republican posted a photo of her children holding guns in front of a Christmas tree.

Boebert, a freshman congresswoman and vocal gun owner, posted the photo on Twitter late Tuesday to voice support for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who shared his own photo of his family in front of a Christmas tree wielding guns. That photo has drawn pushback from other Democrats and gun control advocates.

“The Boeberts have your six, @RepThomasMassie!” Boebert tweeted, adding “No spare ammo for you, though.”

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

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 4, 2021

Ocasio-Cortez later criticized Boebert for the family photo, tweeting, “Tell me again where Christ said ‘use the commemoration of my birth to flex violent weapons for personal political gain’?”

She also knocked the Republican Party for the time they “spent on cultural hysteria of society ‘erasing Christmas and its meaning’ when they’re doing that fine all on their own.”

“When you pose in front of a Christmas Tree and can name all those guns but can’t name the gifts of the Wise Men,” she added in a separate tweet.

Boebert responded by accusing her colleague of using “her position as a Congresswoman to attack my boys with their Christmas presents.”

.@AOC uses her position as a Congresswoman to attack my boys with their Christmas presents.

Not a good look, Sandy… https://t.co/Yii8VUPHrV

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) December 8, 2021

Boebert has been public about her gun ownership. She was granted a concealed carry permit in Washington, D.C., upon arriving in the nation’s capital to serve in the House. She also appeared to be carrying a gun while walking the streets of Capitol Hill in an ad released in January.

The squabble between the two lawmakers comes just one week after four students were killed in a shooting at a high school in Michigan. The alleged shooter, a 15-year-old student, was arrested and charged in addition to his parents, who were charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter.

A bill to expand background checks was blocked by Senate Republicans following the shooting last week, after members of the caucus rejected a request to proceed to legislation the House passed in March.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a top advocate for gun control legislation, asked for unanimous consent to take up the House bill, pointing to the Michigan shooting.

“I want to tell you why I’m making this request. I understand the low likelihood of success, but I hope many of my colleagues took a minute to watch the cell phone video from the school shooting in Michigan,” Murphy said from the Senate floor.

He said the footage, which depicted surveillance video of the student emerging from a bathroom with a pistol in hand firing at classmates and teachers, was “absolutely terrifying to watch.”

Boebert has clashed with other progressive members of Congress this year, and recently faced criticism from her colleagues after video surfaced of the Colorado Republican making Islamophobic comments directed at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

Ocasio-Cortez told The Hill on Tuesday that it is an “embarrassment” that Boebert’s punishment has been delayed.