The White House released a photo of Barack Obama firing a rifle after critics pulled apart the President's claim that he enjoys recreational shooting. The photo is an attempt to back-up the President’s statement that he goes skeet shooting “all the time,” according to the Guardian on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013.
Obama made a statement during a recent interview urging that firearm control advocates “do more listening” to rural Americans. He continued with an attempt to provide evidence that he is not completely against guns by making the claim that he is an avid skeet shooter. His statement was met with much criticism.
Skeptics wanted to know why there has never been any mention of Obama’s recreational shooting before. Some questioned why pictures of the President doing his reported skeet shooting have not made it to the media, especially since most everything else he does from golfing to shooting hoops have been available for public viewing in photos.
When Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn talked with CNN recently, she wanted to know why the President's recreational shooting hadn’t been referenced in the past. She also asked about pictures and why the public has not seen any of Obama skeet shooting.
While the picture of the President shooting a rifle should appease most skeptics, there will still be some who won’t be satisfied. There’s no doubt that a few skeptics will be looking for evidence of the picture being doctored, suggests the Guardian. The photo dates back to his visit to Camp David in August of 2012,
Some might wonder if this was the best time in history to publish a picture of the President shooting a gun, despite the fact that he was only shooting at clay pigeons. With gun control such a hot issue on the heals of the Sandy Hook school shooting, it might not have been the ideal time for the president to declare his recreational shooting with a picture.
The attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School leaving children and adults dead has opened up a new attempt to address gun violence. Shortly after that incident, Obama presented a package of measures, including a ban on the sale of assault riffles and high-capacity clips. The measures also included stricter background checks for applications for gun ownership.
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