Yesterday (March 22), the United States was rocked by yet another mass shooting in which 10 people - including one police officer - were killed.
BBC News reports that at approximately 02:30PM local time, an unidentified man entered the King Soopers market in Boulder, Colorado, and opened fire.
Following a stand-off with police, the injured and shirtless suspect was arrested, placed in custody, and transported for hospital treatment.
Boulder police chief Maris Herold confirmed that 10 people lost their lives in the shooting, including 51-year-old officer Eric Talley, who had been with the Boulder police department since 2010.
However, amid the many tribute posts being shared on social media following the incident, the official National Rifle Association (NRA) Twitter account posted a poorly timed tweet defending the Second Amendment "right of the people to keep and bear Arms".
Quoting part of the article in the US Constitution, the post reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
However, the ill-conceived tweet was quickly blasted by social media users, who accused the association for being "tone deaf" considering the tragic events that had unfolded earlier in the day.
One person tweeted: "Wow. You guys used to stay quiet for at least a few days after a mass shooting."
Another replied: "People are DEAD in Boulder because of guns. Their bodies aren’t even cold yet. And *this* is what you tweet out? Literally saying nothing at all would have been better."
A third wrote: "We do not need a 'well regualted militia.' It’s the 21st century. Enough with prioritizing some words written centuries ago over common sense and the safety of Americans and our freedom to live a life without fear of being murdered when we go out in public."
And a fourth wrote: "How well [did] that work out in Boulder today? Because I heard that a whole lot of people lost all of their freedom, permanently."
Following the shooting, Chief Herald praised officer Eric Talley at a press conference, saying: "The heroic action of this officer when he responded to the scene... phone calls of shots fired in the area and a phone call about a possible person with a patrol rifle.
"Officer Talley was the first on the scene and he was fatally shot."
Additionally, Colorado Governor Jared Polis also responded to the incident on social media, writing: "My prayers are with our fellow Coloradans in this time of sadness and grief as we learn more about the extent of the tragedy."
And per Sky News, Boulder County district attorney Michael Dougherty told reporters: "These were people going about their day, doing their shopping. I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice."