Last week, amid the more serious conversations surrounding gun violence, a comment published in The New Republic's extensive interview with President Obama about his shooting habits caused a stir--and had some raising their eyebrows.
Editor Chris Hughes asked the president if he had ever fired a gun.
"Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time," Obama said, going on to explain that, while his daughters Malia and Sasha weren't allowed, guests to the country residence were often treated with a try at the clay pigeons.
The comment, unsurprisingly, landed with something of a skeptical thud. The Washington Post went so far as to do a "Fact Checker" post on the subject, verdict pending.
“If he is a skeet shooter, why have we not heard of this?" Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said on CNN. "Why have we not seen photos? Why has he not referenced it at any point in time as we have had this gun debate that is ongoing?"
Blackburn issued a challenge to the president--essentially: put up or shut up.
“I think he should invite me to Camp David, and I’ll go skeet shooting with him.” Blackburn said. “I bet I’ll beat him.”
Well, the White House has put up, so to speak, releasing a photo to its official Flickr account of the commander in chief firing a shotgun, dated August 4, 2012.
Will it put all the skeptics to rest, or suddenly convince gun rights advocates and the NRA that Obama is their best friend?
Longtime Obama strategist David Plouffe doesn't think so, tweeting: "Attn skeet birthers. Make our day - let the photoshop conspiracies begin!"
Attn skeet birthers. Make our day - let the photoshop conspiracies begin! m.flickr.com/photos/whiteho…
— David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) February 2, 2013
(And, of course, they have.)
This Obama skeet shooting photo looks odd to me because the clays come high or low, not straight.m.flickr.com/#/photos/white…
— Emily Miller (@EmilyMiller) February 2, 2013
something fishy about #skeetgate photo. the angle of the barrel is all wrong for skeet flying through the air. twitter.com/BuzzFeed/statu…
— john r stanton (@dcbigjohn) February 2, 2013
But there it is.
President Barack Obama shoots clay targets on the range at Camp David, Md., Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
