WH: Obama enjoys 'competing with friends'

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Persistent questions about President Obama's comments about enjoying skeet shooting prompted the release of a photo of Obama with a gun, the White House said.

"The fact is the president was asked a question -- did not volunteer, but was asked a question -- about whether or not he had ever shot a weapon," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday aboard Air Force One en route to Minneapolis. "He answered with the truth, which is that he has enjoyed shooting competitively with friends at Camp David on multiple occasions. I think it's fair to say that we believed that would've been answer enough."

During the weekend, the White House posted a photo of Obama firing a gun days after skeptics doubted his claim of skeet-shooting at Camp David, Md. The photo shows the president firing at clay targets in August.

The president's shooting abilities became an issue when he was asked in an interview with The New Republic if he had ever used a gun and said at Camp David "we do skeet shooting all the time."

Carney admitted he "is not an expert" about whether Obama shoots skeet or trap while at Camp David "and I don't think he would claim to be either."

"What I can tell you is that he has enjoyed competing with friends up there at Camp David," Carney said. "As you probably know, the president likes competition of all [kinds]."

Carney said he wasn't sure whether President Obama had gone shooting before becoming president or whether he owns any firearms.