Pro-Trump, pro-gun picture taken in Chattanooga goes viral on Twitter
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WTVC) — There is strong reaction to a tweet of a picture that appears to be taken outside of the Hunter Museum of Art in Chattanooga.
It was tweeted by Brenna Spencer April 7.
It shows her wearing a shirt that says "Women for Trump" and what appears to be a handgun sticking out of her pants.
The caption states "I don't take normal college graduation photos..."
As of Monday afternoon it was retweeted more than 6,000 times and had more than 50,000 likes.
Hunter Museum of Art officials tell us they have a no-gun policy that applies both inside and outside on the property. They say the picture "doesn't appear to comply with the policy."
Monday afternoon they updated the gun policy signs posted on the front door to comply with changes made to state law this year.
We spoke with Mark Haskins about the picture.
He worked 30 years in law enforcement with the Chattanooga Police Department and is now the lead firearms instructor at the Shooter's Depot.
"She's pulling up her shirt to expose it, so probably she has it concealed," Haskins said. "I don't have any adverse reaction to that."
Haskins has been teaching Tennessee handgun permit classes for more than 20 years.
He says although it's legal in most places, he's not a fan of openly carrying a gun. He recommends concealing the gun for safety reasons.
"The other thing is it just disturbs some people so sometimes you get an adverse reaction, so if it's concealed nobody knows the difference."
A Twitter user named Reed tweeted one of the top responses to Brenna's photo.
"I'm 100% pro gun but brandishing a firearm for a photo shoot or showing it off to try and look cool is just stupid. They are tools. Why brag about carrying a gun?"
Brenna tweeted back: "Because I'm proud of my second amendment right and I want to empower other women! Absolutely they are tools but I will always brag about being able to carry a gun to protect myself, my friends and my family!"
She also tweeted Monday that she was wearing a belly band.
That's good, according to Mark, who recommends wearing a proper holster.
We asked Chattanooga resident Chloe Dereueter her thoughts. She's not a fan of Trump, or guns.
"I don't think she should have taken this picture at all. I think it's ignorant," Dereueter said.
"The second amendment guarantees us certain freedoms, it's guaranteed by the Constitution is the way I look at it," Haskins said.