NRA's July 4 gun tweet ages terribly after gunman opens fire at July 4 parade

A provocative tweet from the NRA aged badly in just an hour - after yet another mass shooting marred America's Fourth of July celebrations.

The gun-rights organization, that repeatedly lobbies against any significant gun control measures, posted: "The only reason you’re celebrating Independence Day is because citizens were armed. #FourthofJuly."

That's a reference to the Revolutionary War which saw the US gain its freedom from Great Britain (although back then, folks were toting muskets rather than semi-automatic weapons of war...)

Then, just hours after the tweet, a gunman opened fire on a July 4 parade which was winding through the streets of the affluent Highland Park district of Chicago.

One person responded: "Eh, there's quite a few people not celebrating Independence Day today. Because of armed citizens. You absolute ghouls."

Another added: "Tell that to the residents of Highland Park you f***ing ghouls. 6 dead and 24 wounded at a 4th of July parade filled with families, moments after this shitpost went live."

A third said: "The only reason Highland Park will be burying its dead is because citizens are armed with weapons of war that should be illegal."

Six people have been killed and another 24 hospitalised in the shooting, with a manhunt now under way for the gunman who allegedly opened fire from a roof above the festivities.

Gunfire erupted at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade around 10 minutes after the Independence Day celebrations kicked off at 10am on Monday morning.

Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill told a news conference just before 2pm that the suspect was a white male 18-20 years old, with long black hair, small build, and wearing a white or blue t-shirt.

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