NRA Promotes Buying A Gun On Valentine's Day

The National Rifle Association on Wednesday afternoon promoted a Twitter posting to purchase guns for their significant other on Valentine’s Day. The official NRA Twitter account retweeted the post from gun manufacturer Kimber Firearms that featured a picture of two handguns on a red heart-shaped box.

Kimber Firearms, a Yonkers, New York-based gun manufacturing company, later deleted the Twitter posting. The tweet had existed during the breaking news of a Florida high school shooting that has claimed at least 14 victims.

Gun control advocates frequently point to the NRA’s political advocacy and promotion of gun culture as factors for the high rate of gun violence in the U.S. There were 1,260 gun deaths and 2,308 gun injuries in January in the U.S., according to figures compiled by Gun Violence Archive.

It has not yet been established how the Florida suspect had access to firearms. Florida has relatively lenient gun laws compared to some states, as concealed carry permits must be issued to anyone who meets the requirements with no other discretion. The state does not allow a registry of gun owners, but open carry is illegal.

Florida has dealt with several mass shootings in recent years. The Orlando Nightclub shooting in June 2016 left 49 dead and 58 wounded. A year after the shooting, Orlando Weekly reported that there were 30 mass shootings since the deadly Pulse nightclub shooting.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio, both Republicans, are among the state politicians who have been endorsed by the NRA. Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson has an "F" rating by the NRA.