Suck it up, buttercups, start reporting the news.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is facing criticism after he joked Friday about shooting journalists.
Abbott made the comment during a visit to an indoor gun range in Austin, Texas, on Friday. The governor was at the shooting range to sign a bill that lowers the cost of a license to carry a handgun.
Abbott tested his own shooting skills and afterward, showed those in attendance his target, where three rounds went through the bull’s eye.
A reporter for the Texas Tribune tweeted a photo of Abbott, who said, “I’m gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters.”
The comment, though, earned the governor sharp criticism.
“This joke was dangerous and out of line. Because it’s never a joke to some,” the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said in a statement Friday, according to Reuters. “Words matter. In a state and country where dangerous people can still so easily buy guys without a background check, leaders of every political stripe should be careful not to green light violence on their behalf.”