OUTSIDE MANCHESTER, NH -- An electronic Mother's Day "card" to U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte is generating some controversy after it was posted on the Londonderry Democratic Committee's website over the weekend.

The post consisted of a page with pictures of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Conn. last year, a reference to Ayotte's recent "no" vote on expanded background checks for gun buys.

A reader from Litchfield sent an email to Londonderry Patch on Sunday complaining about the "vile Mother's Day greeting" that the Londonderry Democrats had sent to Ayotte.

Later in the day, political reporter Kevin Landrigan of the Nashua Telegraph sent out a tweet about the posting:

"Londonderry NH Democrats may get low class award. Mother's Day card to Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, pic of all Newtown, CT kids."

Others quickly responded to Landrigan's tweet. The NHGOP tweeted simply "Horrible," while Ryan Williams, a NHGOP spokesman, called it "Over the line." Republican strategist Michael Biundo said "@Klandrigan, please tell me that is not true," and then asked New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley, "what kind of ship are you running?"

The state Democratic Party didn't post the "card," and members of the Londonderry Democratic Committee tell Londonderry Patch they had nothing to do with the Facebook posting, and deleted it as soon as it was brought to their attention.

"A local activist of Londonderry posted the card u are referring to on our Londonderry Democratic Committee Facebook. The activist received the card from the originator I believe. As soon as it was brought to my attention it was immediately deleted from our site," said Tammy Siekmann, chairwoman of the Londonderry Democratic Committee.

Siekmann said she believes the card originated from "an activist group in Concord." She said the Londonderry Democrats "were not directly or indirectly responsible for this card or delivering it to (Ayotte) in any way."

In a blog post on Nashua Patch on Friday, the group Granite State Progress posted a video showing people delivering cards with a similar message to Ayotte's Nashua office in person. The Mother's Day cards read "Dear Senator, no mother should have to bury her child," and went on to refer to the mothers of the victims of shootings in Columbine, Virginia Tech, Tucson, Aurora and Newtown.

Zandra Rice-Hawkins, executive director of Granite State Progress, said via email Monday that the group did not create the card, but it isn't opposed to it either.

"These children and educators died because of gun violence and all their families are asking is that Congress take swift action to reduce gun violence in our communities," she said. "Instead, Senator Ayotte voted against life-saving background checks. Granite Staters have committed to the Sandy Hook Promise effort to do everything they can to encourage and support common sense solutions that make our communities and our country safer. Reminding Senator Ayotte of the children who aren't here to wish their Moms a Happy Mother's Day – whether their lives were cut short in Newtown or in any other incident of gun violence in our country – is a very poignant reminder that Sen. Ayotte should stop siding with the NRA lobby over the victims of gun violence and their families."

Sandy Hook Promise is in no way connected to the card posted on the Londonderry Democratic Committee's Facebook page, according to a representative from SHP on Tuesday.

NHGOP Chairwoman Jennifer Horn issued a statement of her own on Monday:

"As a mother, my heart breaks for those moms whose children are no longer with them on Mother's Day. However, the decision by New Hampshire Democrats to use that loss for political gain is despicable and inappropriate. Democrat leaders including Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Governor Maggie Hassan and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter should have the courage to stand up and denounce the disgusting political tactics used by their party activists."

Liz Johnson, a spokeswoman for Ayotte, declined comment when reached by email on Monday.

Ayotte penned an Op/Ed last week in which she defended her vote on expanded background checks, saying that wouldn't have done anything to prevent the Sandy Hook tragedy.

*This story was updated May 14 at noon with a response from a representative from Sandy Hook Promise, underscoring that the organization is in now way connected to the "card" and any message posted on the Londonderry Democratic Committee's Facebook page. –DT