Two New York politicians are shaken after the National Rifle Association released a photo of them with ammunition strewn nearby. America's 1st Freedom, a magazine published by the NRA, tweeted the photo on Monday.

"In my opinion, it's a subliminal message to their membership as to what needs to be done with us," New York state senator Roxanne Persaud tells As it Happens guest host Helen Mann. Persaud says she felt "absolute disgust" when she first saw the image.

Persaud and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon — the other politician in the NRA's picture — are being targeted for sponsoring a bill last month that would limit the sale of ammunition. Persaud says she hasn't been contacted by the NRA regarding her support for the bill.

"They never reached out to us to question us in any way. Then, all of the sudden, the photograph comes out...They're using us as their target," she says. Despite the bullets, Persaud says she doesn't fear for her safety.

As of Tuesday evening, the tweet was still live. Persaud says there has been no response from the NRA.

His cheek wet with tears, President Barack Obama President Barack Obama recalls the 20 first-graders killed in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School, while speaking in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, about steps his administration is taking to reduce gun violence. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

The release of this photo comes a day before President Barack Obama made an emotional plea for gun control. On Tuesday, he called for legislators across the country to push against the gun lobby.

"After [Obama] is gone, we will still be talking about this issue," says Persaud. "We have a powerful body of people who are not willing to come to the table and talk. It's a serious problem."