Fact Check

Yes, US Rep Whose District Covers Covenant School Took Christmas Photo of Family Holding Guns

The picture is from 2021, however, more than a year before a woman shot up the school, killing six.

Published Mar 27, 2023

 (Facebook)
Image Via Facebook
Claim:
U.S. House of Representatives Andy Ogles, whose district includes the Tennessee school where six people were fatally shot, took a Christmas photo of family posing with guns.
Context

The picture was from 2021, however, not 2023, as some users claimed.

On March 27, 2023, claims spread on Twitter that the U.S. House of Representatives member whose district included the Tennessee school where six people were fatally shot had taken a Christmas photo of family posing with guns. While his district did include Covenant School, we found the photograph was actually from 2021.

"THIS is last year's Christmas card from Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican who represents the district that Covenant School is in in Nashville," Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts posted

The claim also spread to other social platforms, like Reddit.

We found a December 2021 post from Ogles' Facebook account with a photograph that matched the one spread on Twitter. It appeared to have been taken down by the afternoon of March 27, hours after a woman opened fire at Covenant. We reached out to Ogles to confirm, and will update this post if we hear back. 

"MERRY CHRISTMAS! ????The Ogles Family," the post said. It also included a quote that had been dubiously attributed to George Washington, "The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference - they deserve a place of honor with all that's good."

Ogles represents the school's area in the U.S. House of Representatives. He took office in 2023, and previously was the mayor of Maury County, which is in the Middle Tennessee region. In February 2023, it was reported that Ogles had overstated his resume. He later admitted to misstating his college major.

Sources

Long, Katherine Long et al. "GOP Rep. Andy Ogles Claimed to Fight International Sex Crimes and Be an Economic Expert. Like George Santos, His Real Resume Tells Another Story." Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/andy-ogles-tennessee-congress-republican-george-santos-resume-lies-2023-2. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Manseau, Peter. "Perspective | Why so Many Guns on Christmas Cards? Because Jesus Was 'Manly and Virile.'" Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2021. The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/12/14/guns-christmas-thomas-massie-lauren-boebert/.

Schnell, Mychael. "Tennessee Republican Andy Ogles Acknowledges Misstating His College Degree." The Hill, 27 Feb. 2023, https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3876079-tennessee-republican-acknowledges-misstating-his-college-degree/.
 

Izz Scott LaMagdeleine is a fact-checker for Snopes.