Colorado sheriff's "Santa" tweet goes viral, and prompts apology

The El Paso Sheriff's Office is apologizing after a tweet purporting to show Santa getting a concealed carry permit went viral.

What's happening: The Twitter post prompted backlash from commenters, who noted it came days after the school shooting in Michigan. The sheriff's office replied with an apology, saying they didn't mean "to be insensitive."

• "Santa correlates to the month of December and we thought he would help to recognize our hard working staff," the office wrote.

The other side: The tweet drew more than 3,000 replies and 2,360 likes, attracting national and international media attention.

• The Daily Show's Instagram account reposted it with the quip: "'You better not shout, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm tellin' you why' hits different."