Gun Shop Sparks Outrage with Billboard Insulting 'The Squad' Members: 'The 4 Horsemen Are Idiots'

A billboard advertising a gun shop in North Carolina has sparked a heated debate online about gun control and the four congresswomen known as "The Squad."

The sign for Cherokee Guns in the town of Murphy, features the shop's name under an image of Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and three other Democratic congresswomen.

Resting on top of the image is the slogan "The 4 Horsemen Cometh" with the word "cometh" crossed out in red, and replaced with the words "are idiots."

Underneath the image, which also includes Reps. Ilhan Omar, Ayana Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, are the words "signed, the deplorables," an apparent reference made by former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton about some supporters of President Donald Trump.

But the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence said that the billboard, which was placed in the town located around 240 miles west of Charlotte, is "dangerous."

The four women have been the target of criticism by President Donald Trump, whose now infamous tweet for them to "go back" has been criticized in many quarters for inciting racism.

"Disgusting anti-government violent rhetoric from Cherokee Guns in North Carolina. Threats against members of Congress, particularly minority members are (rising) and it is driven by the president's racial rhetoric," the anti-gun lobby group said in a Facebook post.

However, the store appeared to double down on the sentiment of the sign.

On Monday, it posted on its Facebook page that it would offer its "very own 'Four Horsemen Cometh' sticker" adding that to get one, you would need to "eat a piece of bacon" and then "tell us you're voting for Trump in 2020."

"Snowflakes and Liberals are not eligible...sorry." the post read.

Many people posted responses, including one which read, "I love the billboard, don't take it down, it's the truth!!"

Facebook user Steve Johnson posted: "Doesn't matter what race, color or sex. They are 4 Anti-Americans. Period." While Cheryl Cranny Shearer posted "Love the billboard, Don't take it down. Thank you from Washington state"

However the post also generated a lot of criticism, with many taking exception to its sentiment in the wake of a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, in California, which left four people dead, including the gunman.

One wrote that the post was "hate speech inciting violence. Reporting this post and your actions."

Another wrote: "There was a 6 year old boy shot to death in California yesterday in a mass shooting by a white supremacist who bought in to all the hateful, racist rhetoric. Words have consequences."

It is not the first time the gun shop has been at the center of controversy. Earlier this month, it put up another billboard with a superimposed image of Donald Trump's face over a body flexing its arms in front of a U.S. flag.

It carried the words: "No collusion. No Obstruction. Just Guns!!! One mile on the right," the Charlotte Observer reported.