The National Rifle Association (NRA) has been criticised after posting a photo of an AR-15 rifle on the day US students took part in the largest country-wide protest against gun control in recent history.
Students from Washington to Los Angeles and all across the US walked out of school to demand action following last month's shooting at a Florida high school.
But the NRA had a message of its own, posting a photo of an AR-15 rifle with a US flag sticker on Twitter with the text: "I'll control my own guns, thank you."
The alleged shooter who killed 17 people in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on 14 February reportedly used an AR-15 rifle.
The image was labelled "tone deaf" on social media with users slamming the NRA's decision to choose a day of protest to hit back.
"On the day of mass walkouts by schoolkids in the United States the NRA post this. It could be the most tone-deaf organisation in history," one user wrote.
"This is sickeningly tone-deaf. This is in response to US children fearing being shot to death in their own schools," another wrote.
Students in dozens of other cities in all 50 states staged similar demonstrations on Wednesday and observed a moment of silence to honour the 14 students and three staff members killed a month ago at MS Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
In Washington, several hours after the protests broke up, US lawmakers took their first significant step to address school gun violence since the Parkland shooting.
The House of Representatives voted 407-10 to fund violence prevention measures at schools including boosting security, mental health screening and creating anonymous reporting systems so students can report threats.
But Congress has yet to tackle the more controversial aspects of gun control demanded in the wake of the Parkland shooting.
These include expanded background checks for gun sales, a ban on assault weapons and raising the minimum age for some firearms purchases.
- with AFP
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