Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a "Celebrate the 2nd Amendment Event," Saturday at the CrossRoads Shooting Sports in Johnston, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Some conservatives are criticizing what they say is a media double standard after The Associated Press ran a photo of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) with the picture of a gun in the background pointing directly at his head.

 “Imagine the outcry were he a Democrat,” said an editorial at the conservative news website Breitbart. “How many think pieces about violent imagery and responsible reporting would we see? How many more if he were a woman? Keep this in mind for the 2016 campaign. This is the playing field”/The Hill. More here.

Question: Should the AP have published this photo?