# Obama Skeet Shooting Photo > Obama Skeet Shooting Photo is a 2013 White House photograph of President Barack Obama firing a shotgun at Camp David that became a Photoshop meme after officials explicitly warned against manipulating it. The Obama Skeet Shooting Photo is an official White House photograph of President Barack Obama firing a shotgun at Camp David, released on February 2, 2013, after skeptics questioned his claim that he enjoyed skeet shooting[2]. The image immediately became a Photoshop target after the White House explicitly warned against manipulating it, spawning hundreds of parodies across 4chan, Reddit, Twitter, and political blogs[3]. The meme sits at the intersection of gun control politics, conspiracy culture, and the internet's inability to resist a challenge. ## Origin On January 27, 2013, President Obama sat down for an interview with The New Republic. When asked if he had ever fired a gun, Obama replied: "Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time"[1]. The remark caught people off guard. Obama had never publicly mentioned skeet shooting as a hobby before, and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney admitted at a press briefing that he didn't know how often the president shot skeet and hadn't seen any photos[7]. Republican critics jumped on the claim. Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee challenged Obama to a shooting match, saying "I think he should invite me to Camp David, and I'll go skeet shooting with him. And I bet I'll beat him"[2]. The Washington Post's Fact Checker column began investigating and found no prior evidence of Obama participating in skeet shooting[3]. Six days later, on February 2, 2013, the White House released the now-famous photograph through their official Flickr account[3]. Taken by White House photographer Pete Souza on August 4, 2012 (Obama's 51st birthday), the image showed Obama shooting clay targets at Camp David's range[2]. The release was accompanied by the fateful warning against manipulation[4]. - **Platform:** White House Flickr (source photo), Twitter / 4chan / Reddit (viral spread) - **Creator:** Pete Souza (photographer), Dan Pfeiffer (initial tweet), David Plouffe (coined "skeet birthers") - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview The meme centers on an official photograph showing President Obama in a shooting stance at Camp David's firing range, wearing jeans, a dark polo shirt, sunglasses, and ear protection while smoke billows from his shotgun barrel[7]. What made it an instant internet sensation wasn't the image itself but the White House's caption, which included a stern disclaimer: "The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials"[3]. That warning acted like a red flag waved at the internet's collective bull. Within hours, Photoshopped versions flooded every corner of the web, placing Obama's shooting pose into video games, political satire, and absurdist scenarios[11]. ## How It Spread The photo moved fast. White House Senior Advisor Dan Pfeiffer tweeted the image to more than 40,000 followers on the same day it was released[3]. Former Obama adviser David Plouffe immediately started trolling skeptics, tweeting: "Day made. The skeet birthers are out in full force in response to POTUS pic. Makes for most excellent, delusional reading"[6]. On 4chan, at least two threads dedicated to Photoshopping the image appeared on /b/ (Random) and /k/ (Weapons) within hours[3]. Reddit's r/PhotoshopBattles picked it up, where the submission pulled in 1,494 upvotes and 313 comments within 48 hours[3]. Select edits from that thread migrated to r/ProGun and r/Libertarian[3]. Facebook saw the creation of dedicated fan pages including "Obama Skeet Shooting Oh So Funny Pics" and "Obama The Skeet Shooter," which together accumulated over 2,000 likes by February 4[3]. Conservative blogs including Breitbart, The Blaze, and Moonbattery ran compilations of the Photoshopped versions[10]. The New York Post ran the headline "Mock & load!" alongside a gallery of the best edits, which placed Obama shooting at John Boehner, riding around in Grand Theft Auto, and firing flowers while wearing a clown hat[11]. The Daily Mail, Salon, and New York Magazine all published their own roundups of the parodies and conspiracy theories that same weekend[12][5][6]. Meanwhile, a parallel "Skeeter" movement formed among conservative commentators who questioned whether the photo was genuine[5]. Writers at The American Thinker published detailed breakdowns arguing Obama's stance was wrong, the gun angle too level for skeet, and the smoke pattern suspicious[6]. Emily Miller of The Washington Times questioned whether Camp David even had enough space for both trap and skeet positions[6]. Michael Hampton, executive director of the National Skeet Shooting Association, told the press the photo suggested Obama was "a novice shooter" based on his stance and gun mount[7]. The NRA dismissed the entire affair. Spokesman Andrew Arulanandam said: "One picture does not erase a lifetime of supporting every gun ban and every gun-control scheme imaginable"[7]. Some conspiracy-oriented blogs went further, comparing the skepticism to Obama birth certificate controversies and noting that Obama appeared in different clothing in other photos from the same day[4]. Conservative blogger Pat Dollard pointed out that Reuters had reported Obama spent August 4, 2012 golfing before heading to Camp David for "a quiet evening," with no mention of skeet shooting[6]. Wonkette ran a reader submission gallery titled "A Children's Treasury Of Photoshops Of Barack Obama Hunting Varmints," collecting the best satirical edits from its community[9]. Salon dubbed the entire controversy "Skeet-gate" and noted MSNBC contributor Ari Melber's quip: "So the gun lobby does support more background checks, but only for Barack Obama's skeet shooting"[5]. ## How to Use The Obama Skeet Shooting Photo typically works as a Photoshop exploitable. Users cut Obama's shooting pose from the original image and paste him into new scenarios. Common approaches include: 1. **Target swap:** Replace the clay pigeons with political figures, concepts, or pop culture characters 2. **Context transplant:** Drop the shooting Obama into video game screens, movie scenes, or everyday situations 3. **Prop change:** Swap the shotgun for flowers, water guns, or other absurd objects 4. **Political commentary:** Add thought bubbles or captions referencing gun control, the Second Amendment, or other policy debates ## Cultural Impact The meme arrived at a politically charged moment. Obama had announced gun control proposals in mid-January 2013, roughly a month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 children and six adults[7]. The skeet shooting claim was widely interpreted as an attempt to portray the president as sympathetic to gun owners while pushing for an assault weapons ban[7]. The "Skeeter" movement drew immediate comparisons to the "birther" conspiracy, with White House officials privately dismissing skeptics by making exactly that comparison[8]. The New York Times reported that "even some liberals found the skeet-shooting comment hard to believe," though left-leaning media largely treated the conspiracy theories as absurd[8]. Fox News Radio host Todd Starnes claimed sources told him Obama rarely went skeet shooting "and the one time that he did he looked 'awkward and uncomfortable'"[6]. The story became a brief but intense flashpoint in the broader culture war over gun rights, presidential authenticity, and the internet's relationship to political imagery. ## Fun Facts - The photo was taken on Obama's 51st birthday, August 4, 2012, but wasn't released until February 2, 2013, nearly six months later[2]. - A fake photo of Obama skeet shooting had already circulated earlier that week after The New Republic tweeted an image sourced from whitehouse.gov1.info, a site that wasn't the actual White House website. The magazine deleted the tweet once the error was spotted[6]. - Donald Trump, then known primarily for pushing "birther" conspiracy theories, was notably silent on the skeet shooting controversy. He hadn't tweeted since Friday when the photo dropped on Saturday[6]. - Reddit's r/PhotoshopBattles thread on the photo generated 313 comments in just two days[3]. - The phrase "skeet birthers" was coined by David Plouffe, Obama's former campaign manager turned troll-in-chief for this specific news cycle[6]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Obama Skeet Shooting Photo? It's an official White House photograph of President Barack Obama firing a shotgun at clay targets at Camp David, taken on August 4, 2012 and released on February 2, 2013[2]. ### Where did the Obama Skeet Shooting Photo come from? The photo originated from an interview with The New Republic on January 27, 2013, where Obama claimed he went skeet shooting "all the time" at Camp David. After widespread skepticism, the White House released the photo through their Flickr account[3]. ### What does the Obama Skeet Shooting Photo mean? The photo was meant to prove Obama's skeet shooting claims during the gun control debate following Sandy Hook. It became a meme because the White House warned people not to Photoshop it, which predictably backfired[5]. ### How do you use the Obama Skeet Shooting Photo? Cut Obama's shooting pose from the photo and paste it into a new context, swap his target or weapon, or add political commentary. The key humor element is defying the White House's anti-manipulation warning[11]. ### Is the Obama Skeet Shooting Photo still popular? The meme peaked during the first weekend of February 2013 and died down quickly as the news cycle moved on. It occasionally resurfaces in discussions about political Photoshop memes or Obama-era controversies[3]. ### Who took the original Obama Skeet Shooting Photo? The photo was taken by Pete Souza, the official White House photographer, at Camp David on August 4, 2012[4]. ### Why did the White House release the skeet shooting photo? The release was a direct response to skepticism about Obama's claim that he frequently went skeet shooting at Camp David, which he first mentioned during a New Republic interview[7]. ### What did the NRA say about Obama's skeet shooting? NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam dismissed the photo, saying "One picture does not erase a lifetime of supporting every gun ban and every gun-control scheme imaginable"[7]. ### What are "Skeeters" or "Skeet Birthers"? Terms coined to describe people who doubted the authenticity of Obama's skeet shooting claims, drawing a parallel to the "birther" conspiracy about Obama's birth certificate. David Plouffe popularized "skeet birthers"[6]. ### Was the Obama Skeet Shooting Photo actually fake? No credible evidence supported claims the photo was fabricated. The skepticism came primarily from conservative commentators who questioned Obama's stance, the gun angle, and the smoke pattern[5]. ### What was the controversy about Obama's shooting form? Critics including the executive director of the National Skeet Shooting Association noted Obama's gun was nearly level to the ground (unusual for skeet), his stance leaned slightly backward, and the butt of the weapon was high on his shoulder[6][7]. ## References 1. [Obama Interview 2013: Sit-Down With President | The New Republic]() 2. [Breitbart News Network]() 3. [Obama Skeet Shooting Photo Released By White House (PHOTO) | HuffPost Latest News]() 4. [Obama Skeet Shooting Photo - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories]() 6. [Buzz Claim: Obama Skeet Shooting Photo Fraud Proven « Pat Dollard]() 7. [Skeet-gate rocks the Internet - Salon.com]() 8. [The Totally Serious Guide to Obama Skeet Shooting Photo Conspiracy Theories [Updated]]() 9. [Obama skeet-shooting photo spurs debate ahead of gun-control talk - cleveland.com]() 10. [Is the Press Beginning to Doubt Obama? - The Post & Email]() 11. [A Children's Treasury Of Photoshops Of Barack Obama Hunting Varmints]() 12. [Breitbart News Network]() 13. [Obama Interview 2013: Sit-Down With President | The New Republic]() 14. [One moment, please...]() 15. [Mock & load! Web jokers Photoshop Obama pic | New York Post]() 16. [Photo of Obama skeet shooting provides ammunition for pranksters as they turn picture of the President into latest meme | Daily Mail Online]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/obama-skeet-shooting-photo Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library