Skeet-Shooting Obama: As Phony as the Photoshops

Michael Harlin explains why the photo the White House released in hopes of getting people to stop laughing at Obama’s claim that he engages in skeet shooting “all the time” is as phony as the many hilarious photoshops it has inspired:

First the weapon is nearly level to the ground. Can’t be skeet shooting, nor likely trap either. Second, it is evident that the President has never shot a shotgun before as his stance is leaning slightly backward. Look at the position of his torso to his legs. Skeet or trap shooters never do this. They lean slightly forward like a boxer in the ring. Third, he doesn’t know or was never taught that the butt of the weapon must fit to his shoulder. He’s holding the weapon with a gap between his shoulder and the top of the butt. Sure you can fire it that way, but expect lots of pain if not bruising later. Fourth, either skeet or trap shooters wear either a shell bag or a vest or both. Apparently, the president is too tough for that. Fifth, most shooters wear baseball style caps. The bill helps block unwanted sun in your eyes. Most golfers do too for the same reason. Sixth, he appears to be aiming as one would with a rifle. Doesn’t mean you don’t do that with a shotgun but as you are trying to hit a moving target, as opposed to a stationary one, your body must swivel with the target right or left and up or down. The worst shotgun shooters are those that try to aim the weapon like a rifle. Seventh, I suppose it could happen, but in my fifty years of shooting a shotgun, skeet, trap, and hunting, including double barrel muzzle loading black powder shotguns, I have never once seen a smoke pattern like that. Smoke going straight out the barrel is normal, but what the heck is that second smoke stream shooting behind and away from the barrel? Perhaps some sort of release value to diminish the recoil from the shot but I’ve never seen that on a range.

Not to mention Obama is pressing his cheek against the butt as he fires. It wouldn’t take much experience to learn not to do that.

Speaking of hilarious (and expressly forbidden) photoshops, let’s have a few more. Kudos to the creators, whoever they may be:

On tips from Stormfax, Katya Kakhov, Red State, and Oleg.