During his nationally televised town hall meeting on gun control, President Obama responded to a question from Gabby Giffords and husband Mark Kelly about the false yet persistent accusations that he wants to take away everybody’s guns. He called it a conspiracy theory.
Despite modest and realistic proposals to limit who can get their hands on a deadly weapon—proposals that have the support of an overwhelming majority of Americans—some conservatives continue to warn that it is the first step on the path towards an impending government seizure of the 350 million guns that Americans own.
An incredulous Anderson Cooper interjected to question whether it was fair to call those beliefs a conspiracy, and Obama gladly took the bait.
“I’m sorry Cooper, yes it is fair to call it a conspiracy,” he said. “What are you saying? Are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everybody’s guns away so that we can enforce martial law is a conspiracy? Yes, that is a conspiracy. I would hope that you would agree with that. Is that controversial? Except on some websites around the country?”
All this having been said, taking away people’s guns maybe isn’t the worst idea.