TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says the outrage over his appearance in a parade atop a Jeep with a giant replica gun mounted on the back is "the left trying to attack guns" and the Second Amendment.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate said in a tweet Sunday that he will "not back down in the face of a snowflake meltdown and outrage culture."

The Kansas City suburb of Shawnee apologized in a statement to those who felt unsafe after Kobach's appearance at the Saturday morning parade.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management says someone subsequently hacked its Twitter account and sent a message that read: "Hey Kris, I think you are a bad guy with a gun. Also, maybe worse, you a dumb guy with a gun."