GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush sent out a tweet Tuesday with a picture of a gun engraved with his name, accompanied with one word: “America.” And the Internet immediately pounced. Some chided the decision to equate the country’s turbulent history with firearms, while others took the opportunity to simply poke fun at Bush.

So why did he (or his campaign’s social media manager) do it? Well, it’s not entirely clear. NBC’s Jordan Frasier witnessed an exchange during which Bush was questioned about the now viral tweet.

The GOP candidate didn’t seem to be aware of the photo at first, but answered, “The purpose was we went to a gun manufacturing facility where lots of jobs are created — high wage jobs. And I received a job and I was honored to have it.”

Even though he has an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association, Bush never owned a gun (until today, it seems).