By Marlene Lenthang -
NBC News
A sheriff's office in Colorado has apologized for posting a "callous" image of Santa Claus obtaining his concealed-carry permit just days after the Michigan school shooting that left four dead.
The El Paso Sheriff's Office, located in Colorado Springs, shared on Twitter a photo of a man dressed as Santa Claus, with white hair and beard, and a red suit, sitting in the office, with the description: "
Guess who came to get his concealed carry permit today? "
The description included the statistic that the sheriff's office has issued 49,750 permits to carry weapons and another 2,560 are pending to be issued.
Santa's photo shared by the El Paso Sheriff's Office Capture via NBC News
But the message was not well received by the public, especially in the recent high school shooting in Oxford, Michigan.
A Twitter user condemned the post: "I am sitting here in downtown Oxford, Michigan,
waiting for the candlelight vigil to begin to pay tribute to the 4 students
who were killed by a handgun brought into the school."
"Better tell the children that Santa Claus carries a concealed weapon," wrote the user.
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Another questioned the motivation for the post, saying, "What message are you giving kids with this?"
And he added: "That Santa Claus has a hidden weapon? To protect himself from the elves, the reindeer, the children who spy on Christmas Eve? There is enough anxiety among the children right now."
"The families of the children killed in Oxford, Michigan deserve an explanation. My daughter, whose best friend is fighting for her life due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, would also want one," wrote another user on Twitter.
"
This is why these things keep happening
."
Another user drew the agency's attention: "This is really in bad taste, EPSO (El Paso Sheriff's Office)."
"I'm sure it was done with no intention other than to be funny, but with another school shooting this week, and a lot of kids worried about it, posting this fuels their fears, and anguish to parents," the user wrote.
"Rethink it and apologize."
The post
was shared more than 3,000 times
on Twitter.
Three hours later, on Friday, the sheriff's office apologized.
"EPSO intended to highlight our staff in the Concealed Weapons Permit Office, not to be insensitive," the sheriff's office wrote.
"Santa Claus is related to December and we thought it would help to recognize the hard work of our staff."
El Paso County is no stranger to gun violence.
Six people who died in an apparent murder-suicide at a birthday party in Colorado Springs earlier this year were the target of a disgruntled boyfriend of a family member, police said at the time.
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This social media post is not the first to upset users after last week's school shooting.
A Kentucky lawmaker received harsh criticism for his own post highlighting his guns.
Critics said it was offensive.
Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, shared a photo on Twitter of each member of his family carrying rifles and long guns.
The description with the Christmas message says: "Merry Christmas! Postscript: Santa Claus, bring ammunition, please."
[It was a Christmas present: four days before the Michigan shooting the suspect's parents bought him the gun]
Congresswoman Kathleen Clark from Massachusetts said on Twitter: "Aren't we supposed to be in a time of peace and goodwill? What a violent and repulsive message, especially in a week when we lost 4 students to violence. in Michigan. Instead of asking for ammunition, why not work on protecting our kids from guns during the holidays? "
Ethan Crumbley, 15, and his parents were arrested in the Michigan shooting.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
