On the heels of President Barack Obama’s 40-minute speech on gun control Tuesday, this happened: “Obama wants your guns.”
Said phrase, accompanied by what appears to be a photoshopped image of President Obama clad in black combat attire—helmet and all—headlines a page of Ted Cruz’s campaign website.
Just below the headline, the Cruz campaign solicits backing: “Support the protection of your Second Amendment rights!” Visitors are given the opportunity to join the site’s email list.
Cruz, a self-proclaimed advocate of constitutional rights, has claimed via Twitter that Obama’s proposal is “unconstitutional,” CNN reports. But Obama’s initiatives, announced Tuesday, spoke to a need to reduce gun violence through increased background checks and mental-health treatment and reporting to the same background-check system.
In his speech, Obama refuted the GOP notion that his actions are a “plot to take away everybody’s guns.”
“I believe in the Second Amendment, there written on paper, that guarantees the right to bear arms,” said Obama, adding, “No matter how many times people try to twist my words around, I taught constitutional law. I know a little bit about this. But I also believe that we can find ways to reduce gun violence consistent with the Second Amendment.”
Read more at CNN.