Obama holds gun. Millions of progressives make fondue in their undies.

Politicians passing off their "hunting credentials" totally miss the point of the Second Amendment. Why would I care if Obama "likes guns?" I mean, of COURSE Obama likes guns. Whether he personally hunts or not is beside the point, because his ideology is based entirely on forcing his will (or the supposed will of some arbitrary collective) at gunpoint. Support for the Second Amendment has nothing to do with loving or hating guns...I personally fear them and regret their invention, but that's neither here nor there, because the Second Amendment is not about whether I or Obama or anyone else "likes" guns. It's about ensuring a balance of power, so people cannot be ruled solely by the force of the government's guns...and have the practical ability to resist them if the situation ever merits the terrible cost.

In that same vein, gun use is not a badge of honor or a mark of "manliness" either, and conservatives falling into the trap of arguing over Obama's manliness vs. sissiness are also missing the point: First, identity politics based on testosterone levels are destructively shallow. Second, uninfringed gun rights are a necessary safeguard against tyranny, but gun ownership and use is not necessarily a measure of manliness: It CAN be a measure of sober preparedness and responsibility, and that carries a lot of positive masculine connotations...but to some, it's more about adopting a symbol of power to feel like a tough guy. (I'm talking to you, guys who have photos taken of you pointing your guns like you're some kind of action hero. ;)) Yes, firearms are indeed a symbol of physical power...some will have it, some will not, but power alone does not imply manliness. Power can be used wisely and defensively or abused aggressively, and the more concentrated and centralized it is, the more likely it will be abused.

There are probably a million reasons to own and use all kinds of guns, but "looking tough" is a pretty poor one. For that matter, you don't have to be seen with - or own - a gun to have Second Amendment credibility. You just have to support the Second Amendment.

Just when the birthers were starting to become boring (I hardly get a chuckle out of them any more) we are given the comedy gift of the "skeet-birthers".

I've never been skeet shooting, but I have (as have MANY liberals) been on a target range before. And I had a lot of fun! I prefer archery but I have had a good time target shooting (both with handguns and rifles). It is a lot of fun. If I were relaxing at Camp David there is a darn good chance I'd give skeet shooting a try. It's hilarious that some conservatives cannot wrap their minds around the absolutely logical idea that the President saw skeet shooting at Camp David and thought "hey that looks like fun I should try it.". No it HAS to be fake because some people out there have an emotional NEED for the President and the left to be out to take their guns. So it has to be a lie when those of us on the left don't fit the anti-gun fantasy created as the ideal antagonist of the gun-obsessed.

I believe it is absolutely the responsibility of the seller (whether it be at a store, at a gun show or on your kitchen table to your neighbor) to verify the person they are selling it to can legally own it. I also believe there is some upper limit to firepower private citizens should have. Just as people cannot have tanks or rocket launchers there should be some limit on the power and rate at which you can fill the air with lead. I concede it might be difficult to quantify and codify that (magazine limits? definition of what an assault weapon is?) but I believe some sort of upper boundary on private arsenals does not infringe on your right to bear arms while staying within the REQUIREMENT of being well regulated.

Of course those beliefs get me labeled a "gun grabber" in the black and white world of the NRA. And as such I MUST freak out at the mere presence of a gun. Of course the President has been accused the same no matter how moderate hes' been on "gun control". It took massive pressure from circumstances and his base to do anything and the actions suggested are hardly those of someone who hates guns.