Obama Firing a Gun Photo Released by White House
As the gun control debate heats up in America, the White House has released an image of the president firing a shotgun.
The photo shows President Barack Obama wearing headphones and shooting at clay targets on the range at Camp David in Maryland. The image is dated Aug. 4, 2012, but was released this Saturday (Feb. 2), two days before the president heads to Minnesota to discuss the nation's gun control issue.
News of the Obama gun photo first surfaced last week, following Obama's in-depth interview with New Republic magazine where he admitted to firing a gun.
"Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time," the president replied, after asked if he'd ever fired a gun before in his life. "Not the girls, but oftentimes guests of mine go up there. And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations. And I think those who dismiss that out of hand make a big mistake."
The photo could be considered a white flag to the right wingers of the gun control debate, who are against any new gun legislature. Following the devastating, tragic mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. this past December, stricter guns laws have become a major national debate. While unveiling new policies aimed at limiting gun violence in January, Obama has been careful in his approach to the argument.
