A fundraising email about a fictitious “President Obama’s Million Rifle Ban” depicted an angry President Obama with his finger pointed at Republican Senator Rand Paul — and a gun pointed at President Obama’s head.
The email, a fundraiser for the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), is signed by Senator Rand Paul, Ron Paul’s son, and reads, “If we’re going to reverse President Obama’s Million Rifle Ban gun owners have to turn up the heat on Congress before it’s too late!” It repeats “President Obama’s Million Rifle Ban” twice in two sentences.
In fact, there is no such thing as “President Obama’s Million Rifle Ban.”
What these radical right wing groups — fueled by ludicrous reports in right wing media like World Net Daily and Fox News — are up in arms about is a 2010 report that the Bureau of Alcohol and Firearms (ATF) wrote a report stating it did not want South Korea to be given permission to export into the U.S. guns used in the Korean War, because they easily can be modified into machine guns.
Not that most of these sites will mention this.
There are an estimated 600,000 of the gun in question, the M1 Garand, not a “million.” Senator Paul is signing his name to a lie.
Stephen C. Webster of The Raw Story first reported the story. He writes:
NAGR’s website also features a second image of a gun pointing at Obama’s head, this time next to an image of Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. Sen. Paul was attached to that campaign as well — which sought to raise funds off fear over the United Nations’ small arms treaty — but unlike its smaller promotional image, the group’s main banner for that fundraiser did not feature the president’s face.
President Obama has not advocated for any form of national gun ban, and has actually signed several measures that enhance the rights of gun owners.
And adds:
“Death threats against this president are up 400 percent as compared to President Bush,” Ladd Everitt, director of communications for The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, told Raw Story on Thursday. “We are living today in a supercharged, partisan political climate where threats of violence and violent rhetoric are everywhere, and you would think that anyone — anyone, no matter what their political views or disagreements with this president — would have the common sense and decency to not create a banner image for a conspiracy theory-fueled email that shows a gun pointing directly at [the president's] head, while simultaneously preaching to folks about some ridiculous Obama gun ban that exists only in a fantasy world.”
One internet forum poster noted:
If Obama were a Republican, he’d be praised for protecting American jobs by preventing Asian countries from dumping cheap products on the US market.
The Huffington Post, who reported on the Raw Story piece yesterday, today notes in an update:
The image housed at the website for the campaign has been changed. The rifle now points toward the head of Sen. Paul.
Friends:
We invite you to sign up for our new mailing list, and subscribe to The New Civil Rights Movement via email or RSS.
Also, please like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter!
{ 2 comments }
Badash is a little short on the TRUE facts as they appear daily. Our fearless leader has a long history of anti gun support. He did issue an executive order forbidding the importation of 1 MILLION m1 Garand and M1 Carbine rifles into the US.
Additionally; Barack Obama on guns and gun control:
■Supported ban on assault weapons, mandatory waiting periods & background checks (1996)
■Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions. (Jul 1998)
■Bush erred in failing to renew assault weapons ban. (Oct 2004)
■Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
■Keep guns out of inner cities–but also problem of morality. (Oct 2006)
■Stop unscrupulous gun dealers dumping guns in cities. (Jul 2007)
■Concealed carry OK for retired police officers. (Aug 2007)
■2000: cosponsored bill to limit purchases to 1 gun per month. (Oct 2007)
■Provide some common-sense enforcement on gun licensing. (Jan 2008)
■Respect 2nd Amendment, but local gun bans ok. (Feb 2008)
■Ok for states & cities to determine local gun laws. (Apr 2008)
■FactCheck: Yes, Obama endorsed Illinois handgun ban. (Apr 2008)
■April 2008: “Bittergate” labeled Obama elitist. (Apr 2008)
■Opposed bill okaying illegal gun use in home invasions. (Aug 2008)
■Confirms pledge to restore gun ban (Apr 2009)
■Nominates anti-gun Cass Sunstein to head Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (Apr 2009)
■Nominates anti-gun Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court (May 2009)
■Reverses position on treaty to regulate arms trade (Oct 2009)
■Busts plan to sell rifles to Americans (Mar 2010)
■Nominates anti-gun Elena Kagan for Supreme Court (May 2010)
■Supports UN Arms Treaty to include all conventional weapons (July 2010)
■Appoints anti-gun Greg Nickels to UN post (Sept 2010)
■Again busts plan to sell rifles to Americans Oct 2010)
■Nominates anti-gun Andrew Traver to head ATF (Nov 2010)
■Signed with anti-gun group IANSA at UN (Feb 2011)
■At UN debate on global gun restrictions (Feb 2011)
■Call for gun reform following Tucson shooting of US Rep Giffords (Mar 2011)
■Says he’s working on gun control under radar and trying to bypass Congress (Mar 2011)
■At UN final Arms Trade Treaty (July 2011)
■Oks administration’s first major gun regulation (July 2011)
■Says he won’t be bound by gun control ban in omnibus (Dec 2011)
■Cuts funds in half for armed pilot counter-terrorism proposal (Feb 2012)
■Sneaks anti-gun measure into 2013 budget proposal (Feb 2012)
I don't see a link here yet, do you ? Oh yeah, he told Sarah Brady he was working under the radar on gun control. Did you really miss that one too?
Obama would like nothing better than to come into every one of your homes and remove all of your handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc. His heart’s desire is to see American’s left completely defenseless. A Chicago mindset.
Just another tea party brown-nosing politician who relies on reality-defying rhetoric to stir up the masses … and hints at "2nd Amendment remedies" as a backup plan.
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 2 trackbacks }