An Australian politician joked about shooting "greenie punks" just days after one of the deadliest school shootings in the United States.
George Christensen is a conservative Nationals MP in the Australian parliament with a reputation for controversial remarks about gay marriage, immigration and firearms.
On Wednesday a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in south Florida allegedly shot and killed 17 students, in one of the deadliest school massacres in US history.
Christensen has been a prominent defender of firearm ownership in Australia. The country introduced strict gun control laws in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre, and has not had a mass shooting since.
On Saturday Christensen posted a Facebook post from a shooting range of Australia's peak shooting lobby, the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, setting out his support for legitimate firearm owners.
In the initial post he defended sporting shooters, writing that "Gun owners aren't criminals. They are olympians, Commonwealth games medallists, conservationists, farmers and many of them veterans."
But in a further comment below the photo, he posted an image of himself with a handgun, writing "You gotta ask yourself, do you feel lucky, greenie punks?".
Christensen's post is a homage to the 1971 film Dirty Harry, where Clint Eastwood delivers the famous line "do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk" while he points his gun at an injured man who attempted to rob a bank and considers whether he has still any bullets in his weapon.
The post has already received criticism online for potentially encouraging violence against conservationists. Greens senator Peter Whish Wilson pointed out that a farmer was previously convicted of murdering a vegetation officer.
Need I remind George that a farmer brutally gunned down a native vegetation office in rural nsw?
Workers have been shot and killed just for doing their job. George Christensen knows this and still posted it. Le… https://t.co/TsggZPdN0S
The post also drew strong criticism from Australia's peak trade union body.
When asked about the post and whether it could be viewed as an incitement of violence, Christensen told BuzzFeed News "I don't think at all. I think people need to lighten up to be honest".
Christensen, who holds a valid firearm licence in QLD, said he "thought it had been blown out more than it needs to, to be honest. I don't think any malice was intended."
"I stand by the comments made."
On Sunday the Australian prime minister Malcol Turnbull praised the effectiveness of the nation's gun control laws.
"We don't tell other countries how to manage their firearms policies but obviously Australia has one of the strictest in the world," Turnbull told reporters in Melbourne.
"We have a great deal to thank [former Australian prime minister] John Howard, and indeed Tim Fisher who supported him as leader of the nationals at the time, for taking up the leadership challenge after the shocking Port Arthur massacre and introducing tough firearms laws."