Obama the gun guy
Sunday, February 3rd, 2013Did the White House really, really, really release a photo of Obama awkwardly “shooting skeet” and issue an order not to Photoshop it?
Yes, they did that.
Turns out the “no-Photoshop” order is standard with all official WH photos. But that doesn’t make it any less hysterical.
And of course, the entire blogosphere immediately read that as an invitation.
Ha (or maybe not so ha, but there were justifiably a lot on this theme)
(H/T c.h., c-b, and a bunch o’ others.)
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February 3rd, 2013
Done did a ‘nuther ‘un, Claire. I’ve consolidated my ‘shops on one page now:
http://www.bussjaeger.org/obama-pull.html
Even by DC pol standards, putting out that pic this late in the game, and apparently not figuring on the inevitability and vitriol of the ‘shops, was… I dunno; I’m a-thinkin’ “stupid” doesn’t half cover it.
February 3rd, 2013
They might as well have triple-dog-dared us. Wish I was better at photoshopping!
February 3rd, 2013
I saw one (linked on War on Guns) where he was on a rooftop blasting at Tea Partiers below. I commented that I want a sniper shotgun!
February 3rd, 2013
followed the link and found out that Chris Kyle, former SEAL and sniper has been killed at a charity function at a range in Texas!
February 3rd, 2013
Kent- pick up a copy of “Fry The Brain”, which was written by SF personell. Among other things, it discusses the use of alternative sniping weapons. Slugs have no balistic fingerprints and are effective at the range many sni engagements take place.
February 3rd, 2013
Oh, but Master will be so angry!
February 3rd, 2013
ANyone ever see smoke from a shotgun before? I suspect a photoshop!
February 3rd, 2013
@reinkefj:
Seen smoke. That seems a little heavy, though. And the single puff (more like smoke drifting from a chimney than a muzzle blast) from the port(s?) is odd; should be more, on both sides of the barrel. And look at the port puff closely: it appears to be windblown/dispersed, which you should see even as it’s jetting out. You can see the same from the muzzle, but a little less obviously. And hard to tell from a single still shot, but it doesn’t look much like Obama is reacting against any recoil.
My guess is that they really did pose him with a shotgun, then ‘shopped the gunsmoke. Poorly. That’s part of what made the admonition not to ‘shop the thing just a little more… piquant.
Who can blame ‘em? I mean… Really. Would you want to be on the same range with Obama with loaded shotgun? (No wisecracks; you know what I mean. [grin])
February 3rd, 2013
Argh. “…which you shouldn’t see…”
February 3rd, 2013
No, I wouldn’t want to be on the same range as Obama. I would think he’d be worse than that guy who shot one of his “friends”, (twice, if I remember right), during the Bush years. I don’t think he’d even heard of the “rules of gun handling” such as not pointing the muzzle at anybody or anything you’re not willing to destroy. And this guy is in charge of America’s nuclear arsenal. Lovely thought, isn’t it?
February 4th, 2013
That was Cheney. But in his defense, he did shoot a lawyer.
February 4th, 2013
He has heard the rules of gun handling, but rules don’t apply to him just to the Proles. In his case it should be don’t point the Drone at anything you are willing to destroy.
February 4th, 2013
The photo was not intended to fool gun guys, but give the anti-gun crowd a “What are y’all afraid of. See, he’s one of you.” They see what they want to see.
If it is poorly done and infuriates gun folks, so much the better.
February 4th, 2013
It’s obvious why they released this photo now: Same reason that when Bill Clinton signed the first Scary Black Rifle Ban, he stood up and said something like “I’m not anti-Second Amendment. I recall fondly hunting squirrels with my father in Arkansas as a boy with the family .22…but we need to put in reasonable restrictions to protect children….”
In other words, “When we’re done, all you’ll be able to have is an old .22 or a $10,000 Benelli double-barreled two-shot break-action shotgun” (like the one Obama has in this photo.)
Michael W. Dean
February 4th, 2013
And the hits keep coming:
http://co-ironwill.blogspot.com/2013/02/rules-for-radicals-
rule-5.html
February 4th, 2013
And, now without line-break:
Rules for Radicals #5
February 4th, 2013
Carl, I downloaded the largest version available at Flickr. Looking at the muzzle end, there is indeed a gas plume venting from the left side of the barrel rib. Taking all possible factors into account, I’m not willing to conclude it’s a shop job. The combination of shooting while in the swing, plus recoil, and any wind which might have been blowing, I think could combine to produce the effects there, particularly with a mild load. I went to YouTube to find a hi-speed video of a shotgun, and found this one — High Speed Shotgun Slow Motion Shooting 300 & 600fps in HD, which shows quite a lot of visible smoke.
And, since Claire will have to rescue this from moderation with 2 links, I might as well toss in another with visible muzzle smoke. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Kt7pOpXsg&feature=player_detailpage#t=85sSlow Mo 12ga Shotgun Slug DESTRUCTION, because who doesn’t like watching things get blown to smithereens with a 12ga?
February 4th, 2013
(Darn. This is going to go to moderation, since I have to post multiple URLs.)
@Jed: “Carl, I downloaded the largest version available at Flickr. Looking at the muzzle end, there is indeed a gas plume venting from the left side of the barrel rib. ”
I’m looking at the 3000×2000 version now, and what I see on the left side of the upper barrel is port slots with nothing coming out. And I’m still seeing what looks like the muzzle blast and the port plume being blown by a breeze in opposite directions.
The apparent breeze can be explained by turbulence from the shot. the lack of exhaust from the left side ports can’t.
Add in that the White had already reported that Obama was elsewhere golfing until evening that day (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/04/us-usa-obama-birthday-idUSBRE8730F820120804). Not conclusive.
Now add in that he apparently wasn’t on the Camp David range at all in that pic (http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2013/02/04/white-house-contempt-average-americans/#comment-348338).
Looked at the videos you linked: Yeah, smoke. But compare the blast-dispersed smoke with the dense, well-defined plumes in the Obama pic. And note the recoil in those vids, and the seeming lack thereof in the Obama still frame. A light load, would account for little recoil, but would also have even less smoke.
If that picture was not ‘shopped, then they staged the photo op off-range, with Obama firing a black powder blank from a malfunctioning shotgun, as the wind blew in two directions at once. On a day that the White House reported he was elsewhere golfing until evening. With pictures showing different clothes. A picture released after Carney said there were no pictures because prezzie likes his privacy. A pic that suddenly turned up after people called Obama on it, and even challenged him to a skeet shoot competition. Bad ‘shop, bad pose; take your pick. I’m good with either.
February 4th, 2013
Looks like my response to Jed is still in moderation (Claire, how dare you try to sleep at night!). I’m trying to address the comp port plume(s), which don’t look right to me. I have a close up of the ports over at my site:
http://www.bussjaeger.org/obama-pull.html
Scroll down to the bottom of the page. I don’t know Benellis; am I looking at the wrong thing here? ‘Cuz it looks like the one plume doesn’t line up with the visible ports.
February 5th, 2013
Well, Carl, you might be right about that. I just think it’s hard to say. And the press office could’ve released the photo and gotten the date/time wrong too. Just saying it’s not quite as easy to tell, IMHO. So, I’ll just toss out a couple more items and call it a day.
Billll indicates that it’s a Citori, with a Skeetmaster tube. Running .410 helps with the recoil problem, but not the muzzle plume. Or not … I’ve shot only 12 ga., and never seen anyone shooting .410.
Shotgunner Steve Sheldon argues that it’s a complete fraud.
Either way, it’s a piss-poor piece of propoganda. The nerf-gun pic is much more realistic.