Eric Trump: 'Shooting was a big part of my youth', strengthened family bonds

Eric Trump on Monday took to Twitter to say that recreational shooting played a positive role in his upbringing.

“It kept me away from drinking, drugs, taught me safety, discipline, consentration and so many other positive life lessons,” President Donald Trump’s middle son tweeted, misspelling “concentration.”

He added: “It has brought generations of children together with parents, grandparents and other role models.”

His Tweet appeared to be in response to a FOX News article about the controversy over a New Jersey high school's alleged suspension of two students over a gun photo taken during a family visit to a private shooting range.

His Tweet also came just days before thousands of activists are expected to visit the nation’s capital in support of increased gun control and school safety, brought swift social media reprisal from some posters.

Others rallied to his defense.

Eric Trump and his older brother, Donald Trump Jr., avid game hunters, drew criticism when photos surfaced of a hunting trip to Zimbabwe in 2012 which showed the brothers posing next to various dead animals.

Those in favor of increased gun control and school safety have also spoken out about how the raging debate has impacted their generation.

"Not one more. We cannot allow one more child to be shot at school. We cannot allow one more teacher to make a choice to jump in front of a firing assault rifle to save the lives of students," the organizers of a “March for Our Lives” rally being held on March 24 said in their online mission statement. "In the tragic wake of the seventeen lives brutally cut short in Florida, politicians are telling us that now is not the time to talk about guns. March For Our Lives believes the time is now."

The march was organized by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 people were killed during a deadly shooting rampage on Valentine’s Day.

A month later, students walked out of their classes for 17 minutes, in honor of each of the victims.

On the same day of the walkout, the National Rifle Association of America shared a message of their own on Twitter.

“I’ll control my own guns, thank you,” The NRA tweeted out along with an image of an AR-style rifle.

The organization also tweeted out a recorded message from Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA-ILA, where he said gun control activists are “blaming good honest people for acts of murderers.”