Lyons said he wrote the tweet as an emotional response to the “horrific act” and he does not apologize for “being insensitive to a cowardly mass murderer.”

As a father of six, he said he has no compassion for any individual who commits such a crime, referring to the 8-year-old boy who died in the explosions. The incident hit a personal note for Lyons.

“I have a young daughter who’s turning 8 this year … and it kind of hit home,” he said. “It’s a tragedy beyond words, and I can’t even imagine how the family is feeling.”

Twitter users disagreed with his graphic response and replied to him with tweets suggesting he was out of line.

“@mlyons85 is another GOP official who selectively believes in Constitution, doesn’t realize being American = respecting rule of law,” MSU alumnus Randy Pitler tweeted on his account @randypitler.

@CathDoesMath, from Detroit, tweeted “@mlyons85 This tweet is an embarrassment to you and @michiganstateu Think before you suggest selectively applying civil rights. Think.”

Lyons said when he wrote the tweet Friday evening, he didn’t think it would be offensive. He apologized for upsetting people.

“At the end of the day, our country’s under attack and this has got to stop,” he said. “I’m not worried about hurting anybody’s feelings, I’m just worried about keeping our children and families safe in this country.”