Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) tweeted a photo of a statue of himself holding a gun on Thursday, addressing President Biden directly and daring him to “come and take it” amid a Democratic push for new gun control legislation.

“Careful, she bites too,” Rounds said in the tweet accompanying the photo, which shows a dog at the statue’s feet. 

Hey @JoeBiden – come and take it. Careful, she bites too. pic.twitter.com/NOKWlq5aQv

— Senator Mike Rounds (@SenatorRounds) March 25, 2021

The statue is one of several that were commissioned in 2016 as part of South Dakota’s Trail of Governors series, KSFY reported that year. Rounds was the governor of South Dakota from 2003 to 2011 before being elected to the Senate. 

After a pair of highly publicized mass shootings in recent weeks, Biden called on Congress to pass comprehensive gun control measures, including a ban on assault weapons. 

“I don’t need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take commonsense steps that will save lives in the future and to urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act,” he said earlier this week. “We can ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in this country once again. I got that done when I was a senator. … We should do it again.”

Rounds’s tweet sparked backlash online from some users who saw it as a potentially threatening message to the president. 

Is he threatening to shoot @POTUS? https://t.co/aThkZsN4MK

— Space Force Cadet (@SpaceForceCad) March 25, 2021

“ Okay Jackass!! Dear @SecretService This Is A Direct Threat To The President!! “ https://t.co/FY9XCQYgbl

— Lydia (@LitLat) March 25, 2021

Why are these people always challenging others to try and take their guns? I mean… do they actually want people to turn up at their homes, places of work, or just in random places, legally fully armed… in some sort of really dark contest? It is genuinely really weird. https://t.co/EMkA0ydV7u

— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) March 25, 2021

The South Dakota Democratic Party also expressed outrage at the tweet. 

“The GOP has already fomented one deadly insurrection. This kind of rhetoric that can foment another armed insurrection. This seditious behavior is only aimed at getting people hurt,” the state party said.

The GOP has already fomented one deadly insurrection. This kind of rhetoric that can foment another armed insurrection. This seditious behavior is only aimed at getting people hurt.
Shame on you, @SenatorRounds for agitating violent rhetoric and tweeting veiled threats. https://t.co/fuaT8Nu3MW

— SD Democratic Party (@SoDakDems) March 25, 2021