DENVER – A candidate for Pueblo County commissioner received a death threat through Facebook after posting an article questioning whether the 2012 school massacre in New Town, Connecticut was a hoax.

Thomas Ready

Republican candidate for Pueblo County commissioner Thomas Ready was called out by his opponent during a debate last week in a recorded exchange posted online. Democratic incumbent Sal Pace told those in attendance that Ready posted an article that alleged the shooting, in which 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults, was a hoax perpetuated by the government to advance gun control, Reuters reports.

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Ready, a dentist and former U.S. Army major, told Reuters “I know it happened,” but said he posted the story to engage his followers in an “open discussion.” The 70-year-old said he received a death threat following the debate from someone he didn’t know because of the controversial Facebook post, but didn’t contact police, the news site reports.

“There was a picture of a man walking in whose daughter had died. He was smiling and joking,” Ready said during the debate. “When he walked into the room, he turned and all of a sudden, had tears in his eyes. Why?”

Pace told the news service his opponent’s comments were “reprehensible and hurtful to the victims’ families.” Colorado Democratic Party chairman Rick Palacio called on the state’s Republican leadership to condemn Ready’s “irresponsible and asinine conspiratorial comments.”

“Colorado’s connection to Sandy Hook was that four gun laws were enacted in the state that led to the recall of two Democratic legislators,” the Pueblo Chieftain reports. “One was state Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo.”

Most sensible people will agree that the tragedy in Newtown was very real, and several news outlets, including the Blaze, have debunked conspiracy theories surrounding the shooting.

But it remains clear that many Americans still have questions about what exactly happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Dec. 14, 2012, and the incidents in Pueblo County highlight that fact.

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Kerensa Gwir, for example, posted to the Chieftain story about “the real reason for the very real cover-up of the Sandy Hook school shooting stems from … the gunshots fired long after the ‘final’ shot and … the critical ambulance shortage and blocked ambulance route.”

Poster wahwahwah wrote that articles on the Sandy Hook Hoax are “interesting reading, and good for open discussion as Ready said.”

“Pace you lost votes to the thousands of conspiracy hounds in Pueblo who enjoy the fun of them,” wahwahwah wrote.

Most other commenters, however, chastised Ready for his comments during the debate and believe they will ultimately cost him the election.

“Loon. I was thinking about voting for my former dentist, but now, no way,” posted artie2.

“It’s amazing that someone smart enough to get into dental school would make such a stupid comment. The guy definitely went right to loon with that one,” posted Mike Barnett. “What’s next? The holocaust was made up in the same studio as the moon landing?”