NRA Criticizes Obama in Live-Tweet of CNN’s Town Hall

Under President Barack Obama’s executive order, anyone buying guns online must go through a background check.

“If the goal is to save lives, then prosecute criminals, Mr. President!” another tweet read.

The NRA declined to participate in CNN’s town hall on guns.

“Our position is consistently mischaracterized”, Obama said. Donald Trump, addressing a rally in Vermont just as Obama was holding the town hall, said he would eliminate gun-free zones in schools on his first day if elected to the White House. “And since this is the main reason they exist, you’d think they would be prepared to have a debate with the president”.

He tried to reassure gun owners that he is not trying to take away their firearms, and accused the NRA of pushing an “imaginary fiction” about his actions. The president said that instead of having a dialogue, the NRA has chosen to “mischaracterize” his intentions and policies that impact gun owners.

Following the meeting, the New York Times published an opinion column written by Obama outlining how he will not support any presidential candidate who refuses to back gun reform.

On Twitter, Clinton praised Obama for “taking a crucial step forward on gun violence”.

He took questions for more than an hour on CNN, a high-profile push to lower the number of people killed by guns nationwide every year, which he says is more than 30,000.

Kimberly Corban, a rape victim who has gone on to strongly support gun rights, challenged Obama during the public forum, saying that his new initiatives make it harder for her to protect her family.

Critics of the executive actions have said the measures infringe on the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

“If you listen to the rhetoric, it is so over the top, and so overheated”, Obama said.

Senator Rand Paul said: “We should be advocating for more concealed carry ability for law abiding Americans and an end to unconstitutional gun free zones, not spending tax dollars on enforcing pointless gun laws that do not improve the safety of this nation”.

The two leading Democratic candidates for President, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, expressed support for the executive actions, making it unlikely that Obama’s ultimatum would affect a member of Obama’s party. “That’s bait”, he said.

The White House has said that the town hall will include Americans of all beliefs on the hot-button topic of gun control. “You had siblings, 10-year-olds, eight-year- olds, three-year-olds who in some cases didn’t even understand that their brother or sister weren’t going to be coming home”, he said.