Ottawa shootings: Chrissy Teigen receives criticism over controversial gun crime comment

The American model was sent death threats after comparing the gun crime of Canada and the US

Chrissy Teigen

Chrissy Teigen found herself the target of criticism yesterday, after she used the Ottowa shooting to make a point about US gun control.

A gunman shot and killed a soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa yesterday, before an attacker entered parliament. Witnesses said up to 50 shots were fired before he was himself shot dead by the House of Commons Sergeant-at-Arms, Kevin Vickers. The dead attacker was named by an official as 32-year-old Canadian national Michael Zehaf-Bibeau.

Ottawa shooting: A shock attack in a peaceful nation

Three other people were treated in hospital but were later released. Police could not confirm whether or not the gunman who shot the soldier was the same person who later attacked parliament.

On Monday, a Muslim convert killed a soldier in Quebec by driving into him. The deaths came after Canada raised its terrorism alert level.

However, Teigen received backlash over her tweet, which raised the issue of US gun crime.

One Twitter user said “thanks for the neighbourly love in this time of pain in Canada. Acts of terror are not funny”, while another accused the American model of using the “tragedy to promote your own f***ing agenda”.

True to Teigen's word, the issue of US gun crime has become a much-publicised debate in recent years, following a spate of shootings in the country.

Estimates in 2011 put the number of firearms at 270 million in the US, or 89 per 100 people; Canada had 9.95 million, or 31 per 100 residents. The US reportedly had 11,000 gun-related killings in the same year, while Canada had 158.

Teigen then attempted to clarify her views, issuing a non-apology and explaining that it was not intended to undermine the Ottawa shooting.

She then proceeded to retweet some of the more insulting of comments, before tweeting that her feed was now full of “toast talk and death threats”.

One user - who has now been suspended - wished that would Teigen would be subjected to an act of fatal terrorism.

A screengrab of the tweets was shared by Teigen.

The 28-year-old became known for appearing in Sports Illustrated, but has since completed editorials for fashion magazines including Vogue and Glamour.