A group of male Republican lawmakers in New Hampshire have come under criticism for a stunt that gun control advocates say was demeaning to victims of gun violence: donning pearl necklaces to apparently mock those testifying in front of them.

In a hearing in the New Hampshire house of representatives on Tuesday for a bill that would make it easier to restrict access to guns for people who pose an immediate threat to themselves or others, a number of Republican male legislators turned up wearing pearls.

Advocates from the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America said the message being conveyed was clear: opponents of gun violence were “clutching their pearls”.

“It really is shameful to behave that way when your constituents are being brave enough to share their stories,” Shannon Watts, founder of the group told the Washington Post.

Of the 13 legislators, 10 were men, and half of them were wearing pearls, Watts wrote on Twitter, sharing an image of the hearing that soon went viral. “Meanwhile, their constituents are in tears as they testify about gun suicides and domestic gun violence in their families.”

Among them were state representatives Daryl Abbas, Scott Wallace and David Welch.

Of the 13 person ERPO hearing committee, 10 of the lawmakers are men; half of them are wearing pearls to mock @MomsDemand volunteers. Meanwhile, their constituents are in tears as they testify about gun suicides and domestic gun violence in their families. #NHPolitics pic.twitter.com/eVIS73yfoR — Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 5, 2019

Many people condemned the gesture.

Moms are not "clutching their pearls" over gun violence. They are BURYING their children over gun violence. These are preventable deaths save for your selfishness & greed, #NHPolitics. You should be ashamed. #MomsDemand https://t.co/JtCsimveoQ — ElizabethSchatzDoyle (@elizabethdoyle) March 5, 2019

New Hampshire colleagues and friends, please find and vote out any of these men wearing pearls to mock victims of gun violence during a hearing @MomsDemand. This is unbelievable. https://t.co/lVivbyyYd7 — Heather (@EduAccessX) March 5, 2019

I want the name of every New Hampshire legislator who wore pearls to that meeting to mock the @MomsDemand volunteers. I have some phone calls to make. 😡 #NHPolitics #NHLeg #MomsDemandAction — Andrea Shaw (@Andrea_Shaw90) March 5, 2019

Representative Debra Altschiller, a Democrat, and sponsor of the bill, shared her disapproval.

“Disappointed in the pearl clutching by @NHGOP,” she tweeted. “There are families who have lost loved ones here & this mocking prop shows how little they empathize with suicide.”

2020 presidential hopefuls including Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris also criticized the lawmakers.

“Too many guns are falling into the hands of dangerous people, threatening kids’ lives and making our communities less safe,” Harris tweeted. “These moms are fighting to confront gun violence and protect our children. They don’t deserve to be mocked. We stand with you, @momsdemand.”

“Moms who want to keep their kids safe from gun violence don’t deserve this,” Booker said.

But gun rights proponents in the Granite State say the meaning behind the pearls was misconstrued, as the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.

Kimberly Morin, president of the Women’s Defense League of NH, a women’s gun rights group, said wearing pearls has been a tactic of theirs since 2016.

“The PEARLS are in support of the Women’s Defense League. Women who ACTUALLY PROMOTE GUN SAFETY and WOMEN’S RIGHTS,” tweeted Morin.

Welch, one of the Republicans wearing pearls, said they were handed out by the Women’s Defense League to lawmakers and members of the public alike.

Watts didn’t buy the explanation.

“These lawmakers decided to wear symbols that essentially mocked the process,” she said.

“They showed they were not coming to this hearing with an open mind, and they were making light of survivors who were testifying on the suicide of a child, or women who were survivors of domestic abuse.”