NFL Vet Shaun Smith: I'm No Gangsta!! Gun Tweet Wasn't a Threat

NFL vet Shaun Smith set off a firestorm when he tweeted a photo of his handgun along with what sounds like a thinly veiled threat to his haters, but he says everyone's got him wrong.

The ex-Bengals and Chiefs defensive lineman says he was going back and forth with fans on Twitter about KC's upcoming playoff game, when things got a little heated. He tells TMZ Sports, "Everyone was talking all this macho stuff."

Smith responded with the pic of his legally registered Glock and said, "Everyone is so tuff on the computer but none of y'all about this so shut up and stay off (sic) my line straight up." The tweet -- coming just hours after President Obama's emotional speech about gun control -- pissed off a lot of people.

But Smith tells us, "I didn't threaten anybody. I'm not going out there to shoot anybody."

He added, "People think I'm out here trying to kill, but I have a wife and 3 daughters. I'm trying to feed hungry kids [through my foundation.]"

Smith says he only tweeted the pic because he happened to be on his way to a gun range when the Twitter war broke out. He says his message was really just that people talk too much smack on social media, when they're not really badasses.