Amid President Barack Obama's promises that he will make addressing gun violence a priority in his second term, the White House has released a photo of the chief executive shooting skeet last August at his Camp David retreat.
The photo was taken on Aug. 4, 2012, on Obama's 51st birthday, CNN reported.
In response to a question from The New Republic asking if Obama had ever fired a gun, the president replied, "Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time."
Republicans were skeptical of his response, challenging him and expressing shock that this is the first time he ever mentioned his skeet shooting.
Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, was one of them.
"If he is a skeet shooter, why have we not heard of this?" she told CNN. Why have we not seen photos? Why hasn't he referenced this at any point in time?"
She continued: "I think he should invite me to Camp David, and I'll go skeet shooting with him, and I bet I'll beat him."
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told CNN's Jessica Yellin that Obama often visits Camp David, but isn't sure how often he shoots skeet. Reporters asked if he had photographs, to which Carney replied, "There may be, but I haven't seen it," adding, "When he goes to Camp David, he goes to spend time with his family and friends and relax, not to produce photographs."
The photo was released as Obama continues advancing measures aimed at reducing gun violence, including reinstituting an assault weapons ban, limiting the size of gun magazines and requiring background checks on all gun sales - as well as executive actions relating to gun violence, CNN reported.
Some Congressmembers are skeptical that the bill will pass amid the opposition of Republicans and some Democrats who represent conservative districts and states, according to CNN.
Vice President Joe Biden, who led Obama's gun violence task force convened after the Sandy Hook elementary School shooting, told reporters, "Nothing we are going to do is fundamentally going to alter or eliminate the possibility of another mass shooting or guarantee that we will bring gun deaths down." Obama had made similar comments earlier in the month," CNN reported.
For National Rifle Association spokesman Andrew Arulanandam, Obama's photo doesn't make a difference, he told CNN, considering the chief executive's strong gun control stance.
"One picture does not erase a lifetime of supporting every gun ban and every gun control scheme imaginable."
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