A Walmart gun display urging customers to "Own the school year like a hero" drew has drawn such a negative response that the company has spent the last 24 hours repeatedly apologizing to outraged tweeters.

In a series of tweets, the company denounced the display as "terrible," "definitely NOT okay" and a "regrettable situation."

"What's seen in this photograph would never be acceptable in our stores," the company said in a statement. "We regret this situation and are looking into how it could have happened."

The photo first started spreading Wednesday afternoon, allowing the photo to go viral and drawing condemnation from the Internet and Walmart. The photo shows a glass display of guns with a sign above reading, "Own the school year like a hero."

Walmart tweeted Wednesday the display was at a store in Evansville, Indiana, but company spokesman Charles Crowson said Walmart has determined that tweet was incorrect. The Evansville store has been ruled out as Walmart continues to search for where the photo was taken.

"There was some miscommunication between our social media team and the store," said Crowson, explaining the errant tweet. "It was just a misunderstanding."

The company has dispatched a team to find the display and is considering "every possible scenario," including the possibilities the photo was doctored or that the display was a customer prank.

Crowson did confirm the "Own the school year like a hero" catchphrase is part of the company's back-to-school campaign this year.

Follow Sean Rossman on Twitter: @SeanRossman