Donald Trump Jr. lashes out at those criticizing 'thoughts and prayers' in wake of Texas shooting

Donald Trump Jr. lashed out at those criticizing the “thoughts and prayers” given in the wake of the mass shooting in Texas.

"Mocking good hard working & God fearing Americans for praying probably isn’t the best strategy for smug Dems, but they can’t help themselves," the president’s son tweeted Monday morning.

In the hours following Sunday’s massacre, in which a gunman claimed the lives of 26 people attending church services in the small town of Sutherland Springs, a number of political figures extended the well wishes, notes the Huffington Post.

RELATED: Tributes to victims of the Texas shooting

There has been a great deal of backlash to the sentiments, as many feel they are simply not enough.

Comments on Twitter included, "thoughts and prayers for people who were mowed down in a church sounds especially hollow," and, "They were in church. They had the prayers shot right out of them. Maybe try something else."

Many suggested tighter gun laws and a ban on AR-15 rifles.

"The 26-year-old man who walked into a Sutherland Springs church and opened fire did so with a variant of the AR-15, a popular rifle that is based on the military’s M-16, police said Sunday," San Antonio Express-News reports.

It is not an automatic weapon, but does allow for rather rapid firing as some models can hold up to 100 rounds of ammunition.

There are also ways to modify the gun to fire multiple bullets with a single trigger pull.